


A new beginning

by Dahlia_Rose_83



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-30
Updated: 2015-05-25
Packaged: 2018-03-04 08:48:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 76,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3061517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dahlia_Rose_83/pseuds/Dahlia_Rose_83
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Damon and Jeremy did it. They brought Alaric and Anna back from the dead. But once back in Mystic Falls new Problems arise and relationships are put to the test. -> Sequel to my Story "Anything for love".</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I finally managed to start the Long promised Sequel to "Anything for love". You should read the first part to understand the Sequel. 
> 
> Disclaimer: I don´t own Vampire Diaries or the characters. Only Colin and Celia are mine.

A new beginning

It was way past midnight and the streets of Mystic Falls were completely deserted. The lights in the houses were off, giving the small town an almost eerie atmosphere. Damon parked his car in front of the boarding house and glanced over his shoulder. Jeremy and Anna were curled up together in the back seat, both fast asleep. "We should all spend the night here." the dark haired vampire murmured. "Probably a good idea." Alaric agreed next to him and just hearing his voice sent shivers down Damon´s spine.   
   
He had really done it. When he`d woken up this morning he almost thought it had just been a dream. But then he had felt the two strong arms wrapped around himself, had smelled the scent that was distinctly Alaric, even if it was a little different now as a vampire. He had really wanted to give Ric a proper wake up call, but had to behave himself, because of the two teenagers sleeping in the bed next to theirs. Driving home had taken forever, but every time Ric had suggested spending the night at a motel and continuing in the morning, Damon had declined. He hadn`t wanted to spend another night cooped up in a room with Jeremy and Anna, who were so sickeningly sweet it made his teeth hurt and who kept him from finally doing what he had wanted so long with Ric.   
   
"I`ll wake the two lovebirds." the new vampire announced, startling Damon out of his musings. He got out of the car and watched Ric, who lightly shook Jeremy`s shoulder. "We`ll spend the night at the boarding house." he explained and Jeremy nodded, probably glad he didn`t have to face his sister right now. Damon knew they had a lot of explaining to do, especially concerning Ric`s resurrection. He wasn`t looking forward to those conversations. But he would worry about that later. Much later.   
   
When Jeremy and Anna had finally crawled out of the car as well, the four of them made their way to the door and Damon ushered them in. "Just pick one of the spare bedrooms upstairs." he told the teens, before turning to Alaric. "If I remember correctly you promised me something." He could see the former teacher`s eyes darken and wanted nothing more than to get him upstairs and into his bed. The moment however was interrupted when a shrill scream pierced the night.  
   
Damon whirled around to find Elena standing at the bottom of the stairs, looking at them in horror. Stefan was at her side in a flash, his eyes darting from Elena to Damon and Alaric in shock and the dark haired vampire groaned. "What the hell are you doing here? I thought you were staying at the Gilbert home." His younger brother looked at him like he`d lost his mind. "What we are...? What are you doing, Damon? What did you do?! How..." Stefan`s tirade was cut off by Elena, who took a hesitant step forward and whispered: "Ric?"   
   
"It`s really me." the former teacher assured and gasped in surprise when she threw herself into his arms and started sobbing. He patted her back awkwardly and looked to Damon for help. Great. This was not going like the dark haired vampire had wanted. His stupid brother and his stupid brother`s equally stupid girlfriend were completely ruining his plans.   
   
Frowning he stalked over and pried Elena away from his soon-to-be-lover. Very soon, if he had any say in it. "Yes, Ric is alive again and he´s happy to see you, too. And look over there, I brought Jeremy back in one piece, just like I promised." he turned Elena towards her brother, wincing at her shocked gasp when she spied Anna. Damn, should have thought of that. "But now it´s late. School tomorrow and all that. And we`re really tired from the trip.  So why don`t we all just go to bed now and talk in the morning, huh?"   
   
Without giving Elena a chance to reply he pushed her towards Stefan, grabbed Alaric`s hand and practically dragged him upstairs and into his bedroom. "That was rude, even for you. She just..." Rolling his eyes Damon cut Ric`s protest off with a heated kiss, pushing him against the closed door. "I don`t care. I want you. Now. I`ve waited too long and no matter what you say, waiting yet another night will kill me." the dark haired vampire growled, his fingers fumbling with the buttons on the other vampire`s shirt. Alaric chuckled. "Now, we can`t let that happen, can we?" he whispered, claiming Damon´s lips in a kiss again.   
   
Damon gave up on the buttons and just tore the shirt right off Ric`s shoulders, a little surprised when the former teacher didn`t even protest, but retaliated by ripping Damon´s black t-shirt as well. They stumbled further into the room, ridding each other of the rest of their clothing, completely shredding it. Damon didn`t care that Ric had just ruined one of his favourite jeans. He just wanted Ric naked and in his bed as soon as possible.   
   
Neither vampire noticed Stefan, who - after the initial shock had worn off - had followed them upstairs to demand answers. The younger Salvatore stormed into the bedroom, only to stop dead in his tracks at the sight that met him. For a second he stared at his older brother and the teacher agape, then he  turned on his heel and left quickly, a blush staining his cheeks.   
   
Damon gasped when he landed with his back on the bed, Ric`s weight pressing him into the mattress. He claimed the other vampire`s lips again, arching into him. And god, he wasn`t going to last long, but that didn`t matter. They had all night. Moaning in delight when Ric`s lips found his neck, placing gentle kisses, before biting down without warning, he wondered for a second about Ric`s considerable strength and his surprising lack of restraint, before every coherent thought was swept away by waves of ecstasy.


	2. Chapter 2

"So let me see if I go this straight:  You`re telling me that you had to leave town spontaneously, because of a family emergency. And you completely forgot to tell anyone that you were leaving. While you were away someone stole your car and crashed it. And since his corpse was burned beyond recognition everybody thought it was you." Sherriff Forbes recounted the tale, sharing a quick glance with Mrs. Lockwood, before turning her attention back to the two men standing in front of her.   
   
"You can imagine my shock, when he called and asked me to pick him up from the airport." Damon remarked, looking completely earnest. Liz gave him an incredulous look. "Are you kidding me? I`ve seen the corpse. And it was neither unrecognizable nor burned in any way. Also I was the one who staged the fake accident to explain his death, in case you`ve forgotten." she reminded the vampire, who didn`t even have the decency to look sheepish. Alaric sighed and stared at his feet.   
   
He had known it was a bad idea the moment Damon had come up with this plan. Liz and Carol weren`t stupid. He had told the dark haired vampire they would never believe the lie. But Damon had insisted that his story was the best way to explain Alaric`s sudden resurrection and when the other vampire had tried to argue he had given him puppy dog eyes. Who the hell would have thought Damon Salvatore would be able to pull off the puppy dog look? Alaric certainly hadn`t and had therefore been taken by surprise and okay, he had kinda melted (even if he would never admit it) and agreed on the stupid plan. And now they were standing in the sheriff`s office and the two women were looking at them, waiting for an explanation they could believe.   
   
Alaric had to give them credit. Neither woman had shrieked or fainted or anything like that upon seeing him, a guy who was supposed to be dead and buried. Carol looked a little pale, but she was taking it in stride. You probably had to toughen up, when it was your job to protect a town that was continuously haunted by various supernatural factions, he supposed.   
   
Next to him Damon heaved a sigh of resignation, startling Alaric out of his thoughts. "Okay, I guess it was a stupid idea to lie to you." he conceded, before looking at Ric. "I guess we can tell them the truth, don`t you think?" Alaric`s eyes widened in shock, but before he had the chance to utter a word of protest Damon was already talking. "Okay the truth is... Ric has a doppelganger. An evil, vampire-hating doppelganger, to be exact." he stated. Luckily both women were busy staring at him and therefore didn`t notice the look of surprise on Alaric`s face.   
   
"A doppelganger?" Liz asked sceptically. Damon nodded. "Yes, just like Elena. I`m sure Caroline told you about Katherine?" he asked. "She did." Liz confirmed. "Well, Ric has, or rather had a doppelganger as well. But we didn`t know that. He kidnapped Ric and paid someone to hold him captive, while he took his place. Then he tried to kill us. I thought Ric had snapped or he was possessed or something like that. Anyways, the doppelganger was killed by one of the originals, as I`ve already told you and of course we all thought it was the real Ric. Until a few days ago, when I got a call from an old friend who told me that the real Alaric was still alive and being held captive. So of course I went and saved him and here we are." Damon finished his story and looked at the two women expectantly.   
   
Alaric fought to keep his face neutral, while he wondered where the other vampire was getting these ideas. "Wow, that is..." Liz stated, but was interrupted by Carol, who exclaimed: "That is horrible." She looked at Alaric sympathetically. "That must have been so hard for you." The former teacher blinked, completely shocked that they obviously believed the stupid lie. "Umm yeah it was.. tough." he stuttered. "Do you have any idea where you were held captive? Or who was your captor? What did he look like?" Liz asked, ever the sheriff.   
   
Ric shrugged. "No, I`m sorry. I was ... drugged most of the time. I can`t remember all that much about the last few weeks." he explained, surprising himself with how easy it was to lie. Maybe he had spent too much time around Damon already. "They had locked him into some sort of basement. He was completely out of it when I found him." Damon added. “And his captor?” the sheriff continued her interrogation. “Dead. I had no choice. He came at me with a stake and I had to protect Ric.” the dark-haired vampire told the women, who both nodded sympathetically.   
   
"Well, I`m certainly glad you`re back." Carol murmured, smiling at Ric. "Thanks. So am I." He said sincerely. It was true. He was glad to be back. No matter what Damon and Jeremy had to do to make that happen. "I suggest we stick to our first story where it concerns the public, don`t you think? After all, we have to explain his sudden reappearance." Damon pointed out. "You`re right. I`ll make sure it gets in the press." Carol Lockwood promised. "I think it would be for the best if you didn`t walk around too much today. Better lay low for one or two days. At least until word has spread that you`re back and that it wasn`t you who died in that car crash." Liz suggested.   
   
Which was fine with Ric. He didn`t feel like running around, scaring people because he was back from the dead. Elena`s reaction last night had been bad enough. He wouldn`t forget the shocked and almost scared look on her face so easily. "Of course. Don`t worry. I`ll stay inside." he promised. Both women told him again how glad they were to have him back and Carol said he could even get his old job back, since the new history teacher had already quit again.   
   
Alaric pulled the hood of his jacket up, before following Damon outside, where the car was waiting. "That went well." Damon stated. Alaric hunched down in the passenger seat. "Aside from the fact that they didn`t believe your stupid story." he reminded the older vampire, barely resisting the urge to say 'I told you so'. "It was still a good cover story." Damon insisted and Ric could swear he was pouting. "Not my fault those women have to stick their noses into anything that happens around here." The teacher had to fight to keep the smile off his face.   
   
"At least you had a back-up plan. Interesting idea by the way, telling them I had a doppelganger. I`m starting to wonder where you get those ideas." Damon shrugged. "I`m full of amazing ideas. And it wasn`t so far from the truth, was it? You really weren`t yourself when you tried to kill us all." Alaric shuddered. He couldn`t remember the things he had done after his evil alter ego had taken over his body, but Damon had told him some of it. He was pretty sure the older vampire had left the most gruesome details out. Still the thought of himself hurting Caroline, trying to hurt Damon, made him sick to his stomach. He was glad he couldn`t remember it.   
   
"So... you have to stay inside today." Damon murmured, startling him out of his dark thoughts, as they neared the boarding house. Ric was glad for the change of topic. "Looks like it." he muttered back. "That could get boring." the dark haired vampire remarked. Alaric had to suppress a grin. He had a pretty good idea where this was going. "You could keep me company." he suggested, playing along. "I might do that. If you ask nicely." Alaric knew that the trademark smirk was plastered across Damon`s face without having to look and decided to humour him this time. After all, bantering with his lover was so much better than thinking of the past. "Would you please keep me company, Damon?" he asked, barely managing to keep a straight face. The dark haired vampire heaved a dramatic sigh. "I can`t really say no to that, can I? But you`ll have to keep me occupied. I get bored easily." he warned. This time Alaric didn`t even try to hide his grin. "Oh, I`m sure I`ll think of something." he promised.   
   
When they finally reached the boarding house he had every intention of continuing where they had left off last night. But all thoughts of getting Damon naked and into bed as quickly as possible fled from Alaric`s mind at the sight that met him when he entered the library. Last night he`d been surprised that no-one had followed them upstairs, demanding answers. But he hadn`t really thought about it much, too caught up in Damon. They had woken late this morning, after having barely slept all night, so Elena and Stefan had already been at school when they finally made it down to the kitchen. Now however they couldn`t evade the obvious questions any longer.   
   
Upon entering the room all eyes locked on Alaric. Caroline, Bonnie, Tyler and Matt looked completely shocked, while Stefan appeared thoughtful, obviously  already wondering how Damon had managed to bring Ric back. Elena seemed a mixture of shocked and happy, but she also blushed furiously when he caught her eye and Ric suddenly realized that he and Damon hadn`t exactly been quiet last night. Which caused him to blush as well. He hadn`t really thought about how to break the news of his and Damon`s new relationship (If you could call it that. They hadn`t really talked about it so far.), but he had intended to tell her gently.   
   
"He´s really back!" Caroline stated, shattering the silence and startling Alaric out of his thoughts. Damon rolled his eyes. "State the obvious, Blondie." the dark haired vampire muttered, as Caroline turned to Ric. "You`re back. But you.. you were.."   
"dead." Tyler finished her sentence, looking just as shocked as his girlfriend. Alaric fidgeted under the combined stares that were directed at him.   
   
“So what`s this? Did we miss the invitation for the emergency meeting or did you decide to throw a surprise party, to celebrate Ric`s return to the world of the living? Well, the living dead at least. In that case you missed the right moment to jump up and shout surprise.” Damon joked. Not really surprising no-one laughed. Boring lot. "You promised to explain." Stefan reminded his brother, looking solemn. Damon shrugged. "I know this witch. She owed me a favour and I cashed it in." he explained, but left the details out.   
   
"A witch brought you back from the dead?” Matt piped up, looking from Damon and Alaric to Bonnie. The Bennett witch narrowed her eyes. Alaric wondered how much she knew about the spell that had brought him back and what it required. "The ghosts don`t allow witches to trifle with nature. What you`re talking about is black magic." The others looked concerned at those words, but Damon just rolled his eyes. "Oh come on, judgy. It`s not like you haven`t done pretty much the same thing for Jeremy a short while ago.” he reminded her. “That was completely different.” Bonnie hissed. “And I paid the price for that.” Alaric felt bad for her, knowing she had indeed paid the price. Jeremy had started seeing ghosts and had practically cheated on her with his dead girlfriend.  
   
“How was it different?” Elena spoke up. “Jeremy wasn`t really gone. His spirit was still there. Ric has been dead for some time. We buried him. And he was a vampire when he died. It`s black magic.” she repeated. “He`s still a vampire. And it`s not black magic. Maybe a little grey." Damon muttered, echoing what Celia, the witch in question had said. The others didn`t look convinced and if Alaric was completely honest, he wasn`t convinced himself. He had witnessed the preparations for the spell and he had seen the changes in Celia, after she had worked her magic. But he wasn`t about to complain or disagree with Damon, because he was way too glad to be back among the living. Or the living dead, at least, as Damon had earlier pointed out.   
   
"Tell me more about this spell." Bonnie demanded, looking straight at Damon. The dark haired vampire just shrugged. "Not much to tell. I didn`t really pay attention to details or anything. I just let the witch do her thing." he claimed. "You have to remember something." Bonnie prodded, clearly annoyed at the evasive answer. "Nope, nothing." Damon grinned. He had too much fun annoying the little witch. Besides he wasn`t about to tell them that he and Jeremy had killed twelve vampires to bring Ric and Anna back. Elena certainly wouldn`t be pleased about that. Especially about the fact that her baby brother had helped. He just had to hope that Jeremy would keep his mouth shut as well. Should have talked it through with him earlier. Only now did Damon realize that the teen wasn`t here.   
   
Before he could comment on his absence however, Alaric spoke up. "The witch created a tear in the veil that separates the world of the living from the other side, where supernatural creatures are caught after their death." the teacher explained, causing everybody to stare at him again. "How do you know? I mean you were..." Caroline asked, again not daring to finish that sentence. Ric smiled. "I may have been dead, but I wasn`t gone for good. I was still here, trying to watch over you."   
   
"He means to say he was stalking me." Damon interrupted. Ric looked at him and couldn`t keep the grin off his face. How he had missed bantering with the dark haired vampire. "Mostly." he conceded, causing Damon to grin as well. They stared at each other for a few seconds, which were probably a few seconds too long, cause when he turned back to the others, Elena was blushing again, Stefan looked uncomfortable and Caroline was watching them with a calculating look. The blonde had obviously picked up on the change between the two men, even if she couldn`t tell yet what it meant. Ric was pretty sure she would find out soon. If anybody would, then Caroline.   
   
"What are you going to tell people? I mean, there was a funeral. Everybody knows you`re dead." Tyler spoke up again. "Don`t worry, wolfboy. We already talked to your mum and the sheriff about a cover story. By tomorrow everybody in this town will know that Ric was only visiting his family and the guy who crashed his car was a thieve." Damon told him. "And my mum believed that?" the hybrid asked, for once ignoring the jibe. "Damon told her I had an evil doppelganger, who died in my place, while I was being held captive." Alaric answered, before the dark haired vampire had the chance to insult Tyler further. Really, the guy had already bitten him once. One would think Damon would learn from experience.   
   
"An evil doppelganger? Where did you get that idea?" The question came from Elena, who seemed to have gotten over her discomfort for the moment. Or maybe she only wanted a change of topic to take her mind off the fact that she knew exactly, what Damon and Ric had done last night. Damon just shrugged again. "I`m full of amazing ideas. And it´s not so far from the truth, is it? He wasn`t himself." He repeated what he had said to Ric on the drive. The others nodded thoughtfully. "So that means you`re really back for good?" Caroline spoke up again. "Yes, I am. Carol even said I could have my old job back." Ric confirmed, although he wasn`t really sure if he wanted to work as a teacher again. After all, he was a vampire now. And he was still learning to control his urges. That could complicate things at school. On the other hand he wanted to be there for the kids and make sure they all managed to graduate.   
   
"You`re really going to work as a teacher again? That could get a little complicated, now that you`re a vampire." Damon pointed out and Ric had to smile at how alike their thoughts were sometimes. "I haven`t decided yet, but I thought you were going to help me with the vampire stuff?" Damon smirked at him. "I might do that. If you ask nicely." he echoed his earlier words. Alaric could practically feel Caroline staring, trying to figure them out. He wouldn`t really mind if everyone knew about him and Damon, but he wanted to talk to the other vampire first, figure out what exactly they were now. He wasn`t even sure if Damon wanted to keep their relationship a secret or not.   
   
Luckily he was saved for now, by loud giggling, seconds before the front door opened to reveal Jeremy, who was loaded with shopping bags and followed by Anna. The two of them stopped dead in their tracks when they reached the library and everyone turned to stare at them. Ric didn`t know exactly how old Anna was, but he was once again surprised when she blushed and started fidgeting like the teenager she was destined to be for the rest of her undead live. If he didn`t know any better he would believe she was really only 16.  
   
Jeremy set the bags down, stepped closer to his girlfriend and put his arm around her. "Where have you been?" Ric asked, trying to lessen the tension in the room. He didn`t miss the way Bonnie was glaring at Anna. And he couldn`t really blame her. After all Anna had been the reason she and Jeremy had split up and he supposed the young witch had hoped they would get back together sooner or later. But now that Anna was back she had to accept that she didn`t stand a chance.  However Jeremy had fallen in love with Anna long before he and Bonnie had gotten together and they had never really broken up. Anna had died and Jeremy had been devastated. He had never stopped loving her.   
   
"We were shopping. Anna needed clothes." Jeremy interrupted his musings. "A lot of clothes." Bonnie commented, looking at the shopping bags pointedly. "I had to replace my whole wardrobe." Anna defended herself while she glared at the witch. That was at least one thing Alaric was spared. Most of his clothes and other stuff were still at his apartment. Thanks to Damon, who had continued to pay the rent, as he had confessed this morning.   
   
"If they start a catfight over little Gilbert I`m out of here.” The dark haired vampire told Ric, leaning close to whisper the words in his ear, which was moot since most people in the room were vampires and heard him anyway. Alaric rolled his eyes and tried to suppress a shudder at feeling Damon`s breath tickle his ear. "We also enrolled Anna at school." Jeremy announced. "And before you ask, it was my idea." he continued, staring at his ex pointedly, daring her to say something. Bonnie held his eyes for about two seconds, before she looked away, admitting defeat.   
   
Alaric feared a lot more drama between those three in the near future. And he had a feeling they would all be drawn into it, if they wanted or not. Already Caroline was glaring at Anna and Jeremy in turn. Ric supposed purely out of sympathy for her best friend. The tension in the room was getting thicker. "I`ll help Anna to get settled in her new room then, if that`s okay." Jeremy spoke up again, obviously wanting to escape the combined stares directed his way. Damon nodded. "Yeah, do that. You can decorate if you like, but no painting the walls or something like that. And I don`t want to see any Justin Bieber posters." he warned, laughing at the glare Anna sent his way. "I have taste." she protested.   
   
Jeremy bent down to pick up the bags again, when Stefan suddenly spoke up. "Wait a second, she`s moving in here?" Damon shrugged. "Of course she is. It`s the only logic thing, since I`m posing as her guardian." The others looked surprised, while Alaric had to hide a grin. That had been his idea and he had to do a lot of convincing to get Damon to agree. Okay, mostly a lot of dirty promises he was really looking forward to fulfilling, to be exact. "You`re posing as Anna`s guardian?" Stefan repeated, looking at his brother like he`d lost his mind. Alaric answered before Damon had the chance to say anything. "She`s supposed to be only 16. We can hardly have her living here somewhere on her own. And this way you can keep an eye on her."   
   
The last comment earned him a dark look from Damon and a protest from Anna, that she wasn`t a kid and could look after herself. "Oh yes, you proved that by getting yourself killed." Bonnie chimed in with a cruel smile. Ric never thought the witch had such an evil streak. "That would never have happened if you had really deactivated that device instead of lying to your friends!" Anna shot back. Once again the two girls were glaring daggers at each other. Alaric was just about to step in, when Damon beat him to it.   
   
"Oh come on, little Gilbert isn`t the only guy in this town. So he dumped you for a ghost. Tough shit. Stop whining and get over it, witchy!" Bonnie redirected her glare towards Damon and Alaric expected him to double over in pain any second. Instead the older Salvatore rounded on Anna. "And while you may have a point here I won`t have you bitching all the time either. You`re back from the dead, you got the guy, so shut up, be happy and go decorate your room or whatever."   
   
Everyone stared at Damon agape. Anna looked like she was about to tell him exactly what she thought of being bossed around, but Jeremy prevented that by picking up the bags and motioning for her to follow him. "Come on, let`s get you settled." She sent another death glare Damon´s way, before following her boyfriend upstairs, muttering under her breath. Alaric had watched the whole scene with mild amusement. Maybe his lover wouldn`t make such a bad guardian after all. Even if it was only fake.   
   
Damon turned back to the others. "So Ric`s back from the dead, Anna`s back from the dead and we got cover stories for both of them. Any more stupid questions or are we done?" His tone clearly indicated that he wasn`t in the mood for further interrogation. Bonnie however didn`t seem to care. "I want to know more about that spell." she demanded once again. Damon crossed his arms and regarded her coolly. "I told you all I know." he claimed. "You haven`t told me anything." Bonnie argued, her eyes narrowed. The dark haired vampire shrugged. "Because I don`t know anything. Like I said, I let the witch do her thing. I never pay attention to witchy-stuff. And I don´t know why it would even concern you. It`s not like you could use the knowledge. You lost your powers, remember?"   
   
The young witch flinched. Yes, she had problems with her magic, Alaric remembered now. That explained why his lover hadn`t doubled over in pain yet. "I`m working on that." Bonnie replied vaguely, exchanging a quick look with Caroline. Ric had a bad feeling about that statement, although he couldn`t explain why. Something about the way she said it just felt off. The witch fixed her gaze on him. “What about you? Do you know more about it?” she asked. Ric could feel Damon stiffen beside him. Yeah, like he was really going to tell everyone the exact details of that spell. He wasn`t stupid. He knew they would give Damon and Jeremy one hell of a hard time about it.   
   
“I`m sorry, but I didn`t really pay all that much attention either. Especially when the witch worked her magic. Things got pretty confusing then.” he replied apologetically. Either he had become a fantastic liar or Bonnie just didn`t expect him to keep the truth from her, because she accepted his answer with a curt nod. There was a short silence and Ric started to believe, interrogation time was over for now, when Elena spoke up again. “Will you still continue to live with us?" she asked almost hopefully, looking directly at Alaric. He hadn`t really thought about that yet, but he didn`t see any reason why not.   
   
"Yes, I think so. I mean, if you want me to, of course. I guess I`m still your official guardian, right?” He had wondered before why they didn`t just kick him out. Now they had all the more reason to do so. "We`d be happy if you stayed." the brunette said sincerely. "Okay, then I guess that´s decided. I`ll stay at the boarding house today and maybe also tomorrow, though. Sheriff Forbes didn`t want me to wander around town while everyone still thinks I`m dead. Oh, and I guess Jeremy will have to invite me in now." the former teacher mused. That was something he still had to get used to. Among other things.   
   
Next to him Damon snorted, turned on his heel and stormed upstairs. Ric watched him go with a frown, wondering what prompted this sudden exit. He flinched when he heard a door slam. So the dark haired vampire was obviously pissed. But if Damon had objections to him moving back in with the Gilbert siblings why didn`t he just say so? He was usually very vocal about anything and never had a problem voicing complaints.   
   
The others looked just as surprised as he did, with the exception of Stefan, who was giving Ric a weird look. "What was that?" Bonnie questioned. Ric shrugged and wondered if he should go after his lover or if it would be better to wait until Damon had cooled off a bit.  But he really had no wish to endure those stares all alone. "I`ll be right back.” he promised, before following the dark-haired vampire upstairs, surprised to find Damon´s door open and the room empty.


	3. Chapter 3

While the discussion was still going on downstairs, Anna and Jeremy had retired to the room the vampire had claimed as hers and started unpacking the shopping bags. Jeremy helped his girlfriend put her stuff away and she told him what was going on downstairs. “They`re still discussing the spell.” she said with a frown. “I hope they don`t tell the others more details. I really don`t want my sister`s opinion on that.” Jeremy replied, picking up another bag and blushing when he noticed that it contained underwear. Anna noticed this with a grin and took the bag from him.   
   
“I don`t think Damon will tell them anything. He knows how they would react.” she said, dumping the underwear into a drawer. “I`m more worried about Ric.” Jeremy admitted. He knew that his guardian didn`t like it when he had to lie. “I`m sure he already talked it through with Damon and they agreed not to tell the others any details.” The vampire sounded pretty sure of that. “You really think they took a break long enough to talk?” Jeremy asked with a grimace, remembering the noise coming from Damon´s room last night. Pretty much all night long. Really, he was happy for them, especially for Ric, but he didn`t need the mental image those sounds had given him. He had barely been able to look at Ric earlier. At least not without blushing crimson.   
   
Anna giggled. “Yeah, we should have bought earplugs. If they go at it like that every night it`s going to be hard to get any sleep around here.” Jeremy shuddered. “If they go at it like that every night you`re moving in with me. And I don`t care what Elena has to say about that. I`m not spending another night listening to them.” he decided. He might already be scarred for life.  Anna grinned. “Sounds like a plan. But then we`d probably have to endure your sister and Stefan. And I don`t know which couple would be worse. Maybe we should just force Damon to make his room soundproof.” she suggested.   
   
The Gilbert boy laughed at that. “Good luck forcing Damon to do anything.” He grabbed the next bag, wondering absently just how much they had bought. Not that they had really paid for all of those clothes. Anna had compelled herself quite a few, not wanting Jeremy to spend this much money on her. “You forget that I`ve known Damon before he even became a vampire. I may have some blackmailing material.” Anna let him know. Yes, he tended to forget just how old she was. Not that it really mattered.   
   
“What was he like? As a human, I mean.” he asked, genuinely curious. He had to admit that Damon wasn`t quite the monster he seemed at first sight. He may even be a nice guy, deep down, but the teen couldn`t picture him as anything but a vampire. Anna shrugged, seemed surprised by his question. “I didn`t know him all that well back then. But he was … cute. Charming. Maybe even a little naïve. He already had quite a temper and he was angered easily. But he wasn`t that sarcastic. He was just a normal guy who fell in love with the wrong girl.” Jeremy raised an eyebrow. “Cute? Charming?” The vampire smiled up at him. “Hey, no need to get jealous. But yes, he was charming. I think he can still be charming now. Though maybe not as charming as you.” Still smiling she tugged her boyfriend down for quick kiss, before stepping away to finish unpacking.   
   
Jeremy watched her with a smile. He tried to picture a naïve, charming Damon, but all he came up with was Damon flirting with his sister, all teasing smiles and long looks. Well, girls probably found him charming, the teen supposed. He was just about to ask another question, when the sound of a door slamming nearby made him and Anna jump in unison. They looked at each other and Anna shrugged. She had been too preoccupied with her boyfriend to pay attention to the conversation downstairs anymore. They jumped again, when only seconds later Anna`s door flew open and Damon barged in.    
   
"Don`t you ever knock?" the girl scolded. "This is my house. Quit bitching. I would`ve heard it if you were busy." Damon shot back, turning towards Jeremy. "No word about the spell. To anybody." he ordered. "I won`t have your sister or saint Stefan bitching at me for doing what had to be done." he scowled at the thought. "I wasn`t planning on telling anyone, don`t worry. I have no desire to listen to Elena`s complaints, either." Jeremy assured.   
   
He knew how Elena and the others would react if they knew what he and Damon had done to bring back the ones they loved. They wouldn`t understand and he really didn`t want to hear Elena`s complaints. Her current mood swings were bad enough. He didn`t need to give her more reason to freak. Damon gave a sharp nod. "Good. Just wanted to make sure we`re on the same page." He left the room as abruptly as he had entered and the two teens stared at the closed door for a second in wonder. “Yeah, really charming.” Jeremy commented sarcastically. Anna just giggled and threw a cushion at him, hitting him square in the head. Jeremy picked it up and threw it back, but she ducked, before speeding to the bed to get another one. Laughing the boy followed her and a pillow fight ensued.   
   
###  
   
Damon shook his head at the giggles coming from the room and stalked along the hallway, surprised when he came face to face with Alaric. For a second both men just stared at each other. Finally Ric broke the silence. "You stormed out on us without a word. Care to explain?" Damon didn`t answer. He just glared at the former teacher, who sighed in response. "Could you please quit being childish and just tell me what`s wrong?" he asked. "Nothing." Damon spat, his venomous tone belying the word. Alaric rolled his eyes.   
   
"Are you mad at me for telling Elena I would continue to live with them?" he prodded. The dark haired vampire crossed his arms and continued to scowl at him, which he took as a yes. "I didn´t know you wanted me to move in here. You didn`t say anything." the former teacher pointed out. "I never said I didn`t want you here." Damon mumbled. He sounded like a petulant child and Ric couldn`t help but smile. He moved closer, until they were only inches apart. "If we want to make this work you`ll have to talk to me, Damon. You`re so hard to read."   
   
The older vampire fidgeted a little. He hadn`t really been in a relationship since Katherine and you probably couldn`t even count what they`d had as relationship. He had no experience with this, didn`t know how to behave. And somehow he still expected Ric to tell him it had all been a mistake and leave. No-one had ever wanted to be with him. Why should Ric be any different? Surely he would leave him soon. Just like everybody else.   
   
"Maybe it`s for the best if we don`t rush into this." the former teacher murmured and Damon felt his fears confirmed. Ric was giving up on him already. He tried to move away, but Ric`s surprisingly strong arms caught him and pinned him against the wall, reminding him that Ric wasn`t a normal vampire. He was an original. Way stronger than he should be. Damon looked up at him and Ric felt his heart constrict at the hurt in his lover´s eyes. He knew instantly that Damon had taken his words the wrong way.   
   
“Hey, I`m not saying I don`t want this. Just because I`m living at the Gilbert house and you`re living here doesn`t mean we can`t spend the night together. It just means we can chose between two bedrooms. And we can chose the house with the least teenager activity." This elicited at least a little smile from the dark haired vampire. "We can still move in together in a few month. All I`m saying is, let´s take this slow, okay? I want to be with you. I really do. More than anything." Ric assured, letting his hands grip Damon´s hips and putting his forehead against Damon´s. He smiled when he felt the dark haired vampire`s arms around his waist. "Okay." Damon agreed finally and Ric felt him visibly relaxing.   
   
"Oh my god. You`re together!" The sudden exclamation made them turn towards the stairs, without letting go of each other. Caroline stood on top of the stairs and watched them with wide eyes. "No shit, Blondie." Damon quipped in his usual sarcastic tone. Instead of feeling offended, Caroline grinned. "That´s so cute." She bounded back downstairs, the two vampires staring after her, completely puzzled.  
   
"Cute?" Damon repeated, arching an eyebrow. Ric shrugged. Seconds later they heard Caroline asking why no-one had told her that they were a couple now. "Sounds like we`ve been outed." Ric commented dryly. "Looks like it." Damon agreed, staring at his lover. "Is that okay with you?" he asked after a moment’s hesitation, inwardly cursing himself, because they hadn`t talked about all this earlier. Ric`s smile was reassuring. “I don`t care if the whole town knows about us.” he replied honestly and Damon breathed a sigh of relief. “What about you?” the former teacher asked. Damon`s only answer was a smirk, as he grabbed his lovers hand and dragged him downstairs.   
   
There was a rather heated discussion going on, but as soon as they stepped into the library, everyone fell silent. Caroline looked at their joined hands with a grin, while Bonnie and Tyler regarded them with a frown. "Yes, it`s true. I know it`s a terrible loss, but sorry ladies, you had your chance. Now it`s too late. I`m off the market." Damon announced with a grin. He winked at Elena, who quickly averted her eyes, blushing once more. Ric felt his undead heart beat a little faster at those words. He`d been happy yesterday, knowing Damon had feelings for him, but now that the other vampire acknowledged their relationship so openly he was bordering on ecstatic. The insecurity from a few minutes before seemed forgotten.   
   
For a few moments the library was eerily silent. "You`re kidding, right?" Bonnie finally asked, looking like she thought it was only a joke. "I mean that`s just..." She made a strange motion with her hands, seemingly at a loss for words. "…just weird." Matt finished her sentence. Damon regarded him coldly and took a menacing step towards him. "You got a problem, Donovan?" His voice was dangerously low. Without thinking Ric put a hand on his shoulder and was just as surprised as everyone else when Damon actually seemed to calm a little under his touch. Matt held up his hands, placating. "I didn`t mean it bothers me. It`s just ... unexpected." he hurried to explain.   
   
Ric smiled at him. "That`s okay, Matt. I understand that this comes quite as a surprise to all of you. But it doesn`t really change anything, does it?" He turned to Elena. "I`ll still be living with you and Jeremy, if that`s really what you want, but I`ll spend some nights at the boarding house and Damon will spend some nights at yours." the former teacher told the brunette. “Yep, you`ll be seeing a lot more of me.” Damon added with a wink and the room fell silent again.   
   
Once more it was Bonnie who spoke up. “Where`s the catch?” The new couple looked at her questioningly. “Catch?” Damon asked. “There`s always a catch with you. And we all know you`re in love with Elena. You don`t actually expect us to believe you suddenly discovered your feelings for Alaric of all people?” Her mocking tone made Damon´s temper rise. “Watch it, judgy.” he growled. Ric tightened his hold on the dark haired vampire´s shoulder, feeling him practically vibrating with anger. “You think I brought him back from the dead just for fun?” Damon spat.   
   
“I think you always have some ulterior motive. And you don`t care about other people`s feelings. You do whatever it takes to get what you want. No matter who you hurt in the process. I think you`re playing all of us.” Alaric looked at Bonnie in shock. He had always known that the witch didn`t like Damon. But this hatred was new. And it scared him a little. There was something strange and dark about her, he suddenly noticed. Something was different. But he couldn`t put his finger on it and right now he was too preoccupied with his lover to really care. Bonnie knew exactly what buttons to push to rile Damon up. Ric feared it would only be a matter of time until the dark haired vampire attacked her. He had to end this fight right now before it got out of hand. He just didn`t know how.   
   
Help came from an unexpected source. “I think you`re wrong this time, Bonnie. They`re really sweet together.” Caroline declared. The witch turned to glare at her now and the others gave her incredulous looks as well. “Sweet? The psychotic vampire, who abused you in the past, in case you`ve forgotten, tells us he`s dating our history teacher slash vampire hunter, who just got resurrected from the dead. And you think it`s sweet?” the witch asked, staring at Caroline like she`d lost her mind. Ric flinched at the accusations, knowing they were true.   
   
But Caroline didn`t back down. “Yes, I think they`re sweet. I`ve seen them together. I`ve seen the way they look at each other. And I`m willing to forget the past. Although I`m still waiting for an apology.” she stated, looking directly at Damon as she said the last sentence. Ric couldn`t stifle a chuckle. “Yeah, good luck with that. I had to die to actually get an apology out of him.” Damon turned to frown at the former teacher, who just shrugged in response. “Hey, it´s the truth.” They stared at each other for a long moment, then Damon rolled his eyes and turned back to Caroline. “Well, sometimes .. I do things … I don`t need to do.”   
   
Ric grinned. This was the third time his lover tried to pass that stupid line off as an apology. “He is sorry. He just doesn`t know how to say it.” Ric told Caroline. “I can talk for myself.” Damon protested. “Yeah, but sometimes you don`t say things the way you should.” the former teacher said, smiling when his boyfriend directed a glare at him. It wasn`t even a real glare. He could see the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth and figured Damon had missed their bantering just as much as he had.   
   
“This is ridiculous!” Bonnie again. The witch just couldn`t keep her mouth shut today. This time she turned to Stefan. “Do you actually believe that?” The younger Salvatore fidgeted a little under the combined stares that were now directed at him. He had been strangely silent the whole time. Finally he met his brother´s eyes. “I`m not sure what to think, yet. But I don`t really trust your honesty here.” he admitted quietly. “Because there always has to be some grand evil scheme behind everything I do, right? Some devious plan to steal your girlfriend.” the dark haired vampire shot back. Alaric wondered if he was the only one who could hear the hurt in his tone. Obviously Damon had hoped that at least his brother would believe him and was now disappointed.   
   
“You know what Stefan, fuck you! I don`t care what you think. What any of you thinks.” Turning his back on his brother and the others, Damon once again stormed upstairs. Ric knew that he was hurt more than angry and was about to follow him, when Stefan`s voice held him back. “Alaric… I think you should be careful. I know my brother can be very… persuasive, but… Bonnie was right. He does whatever it takes to get what he wants. And that is Elena.” Ric sighed and looked at the younger Salvatore, sadly shaking his head. “I know he`s your brother, Stefan. But you`re wrong here. You don´t know him like I do. I trust him. With my life and with my heart.” he clarified.   
   
Without giving Stefan a chance to reply he turned and rushed after Damon, surprising himself with the use of his vampire speed. He stopped in shock when he found Damon standing in the corridor. “Did you really mean that?” the dark haired vampire asked softly. Ric stepped closer and pulled him into his arms. “I meant every word I said. “ he assured, smiling when Damon´s arms tightened around him. He knew that the dark haired vampire wasn`t as tough as he pretended to be.   
   
Both turned at the sound of heels clicking on the stairs. Ric wasn`t really surprised to find Caroline standing on top of the stairs again. “I just wanted to say, I believe you. And the others will come round. They just need a little time.” she told them. The former teacher gave her a grateful smile and chuckled when she added. “And I`m happy for you.”   
   
“Thank you.” he murmured sincerely. She smiled at him and turned to leave, but stopped when Damon called out: “Hey, Barbie..” The blonde looked at him questioningly, but he didn`t meet her eyes. He just stared at his feet, hesitating. “I`m sorry.” he finally mumbled. Caroline beamed. “Apology accepted.” She winked at Ric. “And I didn`t even have to die. I feel really special now.” Giggling she returned downstairs and left Ric alone with a grumbling Damon. “That girl is crazy, if you ask me. And…”   
   
He didn`t get to finish that sentence, because Ric cut him off with a kiss. “What was that for?” the dark haired vampire asked once his lover pulled back. “That was the easiest way to shut you up.” Alaric joked, earning himself a playful punch to the arm. “Besides, I promised to keep you occupied, didn`t I?” he continued, referring to their earlier talk in the car. “You certainly did. So how exactly do you plan to keep that promise?” Damon asked, his mouth twitching. “Oh I have a few ideas.” Ric murmured.   
   
He backed his lover into a corner and claimed his lips again. “Great, now I`m really scarred for life.” The two vampires turned to find Jeremy standing behind them, his expression warring between a smile and a grimace. “Oh shut up. And better get used to that sight.” was Damon`s only reply. “Why, do you plan more make-out sessions in public places in the near future?” the teen quipped and Ric couldn`t help but chuckle. At least Jeremy was taking it all in stride. But he´d been with them on this journey. He had seen another side of Damon. Maybe that made it easier for him to accept their relationship. “This isn`t a public place, smartass. It´s my house. And it`s really none of your business.” Damon shot back.   
   
Jeremy shook his head, his expression finally settling into a smile. “Didn`t go so well down there, huh?” he guessed. Damon shrugged. “The usual, I`d say. Just my brother being my brother and judgy being judgy.” the vampire replied, acting like it didn`t bother him at all. Ric knew that it was just an act and he had a feeling that Jeremy knew it too. “If you`ll excuse us now… We`re actually busy.” the dark haired vampire ended the conversation and turned to his lover again. “So… back to those ideas you mentioned…”   
   
Ric couldn`t help but grin. But he also noticed Jeremy looking at them with a frown and felt slightly guilty. They should really lay off the sexual innuendos in front of the kids. “Anna and I are going to head over to my place.” the teen decided and went to fetch his girlfriend. “Great, that means the kids are out of the way.” Damon commented, while he pulled Ric into his bedroom. “Two of them are out of the way. The others are still downstairs.” Ric reminded him. He could hear the raised voices coming from the living room. Obviously they were still discussing whether Damon was just using Ric or not. It sounded like Caroline had gotten into a fight with Bonnie over the subject. The former teacher felt bad for the blonde, although he was glad that someone stood up for them.   
   
“So let`s give them something to discuss.” the dark haired vampire suggested with a grin, before dragging his lover to the bed and claiming his lips in another heated kiss. Ric was a little hesitant. Elena`s reaction to their not-so-quiet, nightly activities had been bad enough. He already knew he wouldn`t be able to look her in the eyes for the next few days. He really didn`t want the others listening to them as well, knowing it would make things all the more awkward.   
   
But Damon could be really persistent when he wanted something and Ric was already prone to giving in to his lover. “Can you at least try to be quiet?” he murmured once their lips had parted, while he allowed Damon to pull his shirt off. He`d wisely chosen one without buttons this time. Damon`s devious grin told him he had no intention of being quiet, but somehow Ric couldn`t really bring himself to care, when Damon pulled his own shirt off, before pushing Ric onto the bed and straddling his lap.  
   
Damon`s lips nibbled lightly on his neck, Damon´s hands caressed his body and the teacher sighed in defeat. Things were already a little awkward, he reasoned. How much worse could it get? He grabbed Damon´s hips and pulled him down onto the bed, before freeing him of his tight jeans, throwing them into a corner. Then he leaned down and let his tongue trace a path over Damon´s torso, starting at his throat and moving slowly downwards. He had just reached the right nipple, when there was a sudden knock at the door.  
   
“Go away. We`re busy!“ Damon grumbled without looking up. Still the door opened to  reveal Caroline. Her eyes widened when she spied the two men on the bed. “What do you want?” the older vampire asked in annoyance. Ric had sat up and moved away a bit, a blush staining his cheeks. The blonde however didn`t seem appalled by what she saw. In fact she looked like she wanted to pull out her cell phone and snap a picture.  
   
“I just wanted to tell you that we`re leaving. We`ll be at the Grill. So you`ve got the house to yourselves.” Caroline muttered without looking away. She really seemed to appreciate the view. “Good. Thanks for the info. And now shoo.“ Damon replied sarcastically, making a shooing motion. The blonde nodded and finally tore her eyes away, leaving the room reluctantly. Ric couldn`t shake the feeling that she would`ve loved to stay and watch.  
   
Luckily Damon took his thoughts off of her strange behaviour, by ridding the teacher of the rest of his clothes, before shedding his own underwear. Seconds later he found himself flat on his back, with Alaric grinning down on him. When Damon tried to sit up, Ric pushed him back down. The older vampire was once again surprised by his strength and was just about to complain, that the teacher wasn`t playing fair. But Ric`s lips moving over the sensitive skin of his throat, kissing and nipping lightly cut off every protest. Damon closed his eyes and relaxed into his lover´s touch.  
   
Ric`s lips moved slowly lower, his tongue traced a wet path over his collarbone, before he bit into a nipple without warning, making Damon hiss in shock. Alaric licked away the drop of blood that welled out of the wound before it closed again and then let his tongue move lower. Damon arched into him with a groan and tried to get him to speed up. Ric`s tongue had reached his belly-button, but obviously he had decided to torture his lover. Instead of finally touching Damon where he needed it most, Ric directed his attention to the dark-haired vampire`s knee, before letting his lips trail lightly over the insides of Damon´s thigh and finally moving on to the other side, to repeat the process.  
   
“Ric, damnit! Get on with it!” Damon growled, eliciting a chuckle from his lover. “With what, Damon? This?” he murmured, letting his lips trail over Damon´s erection teasingly. Damon`s only answer was a gasp, so Ric took his whole length into his mouth and started bobbing up and down slowly, his tongue tracing the vein on the underside, while one hand played with Damon´s balls. “Ric.. don`t stop..” the dark-haired vampire pleaded. Alaric chuckled, which sent thousands of tiny sparks through Damon´s body and finally pushed him over the edge. With a hoarse shout he came in Ric`s mouth.  
   
The teacher didn`t bat an eyelash. He swallowed all Damon had to offer and finally pulled away, licking his lips in a debouched way, while the older vampire tried to regain his breath. “Damn, where`d you learn to do that?” Damon wanted to know. He had already noticed last night that Ric had obviously quite a bit of experience with other men. The teacher had known exactly what he was doing and he hadn`t been shy about it, which surprised Damon a little. “Well, back in my College years I was rather… experimental.” Ric murmured with a shrug. Damon wondered absently why they had waited so long to do this. Oh right, because he`d been scared of losing his best friend and therefore had never dared to hit on Ric. His fault, then.  
   
“What about you?” Alaric asked, even as he allowed Damon to roll him onto his back and return the favour. “I`m over 170 years old, Ric.” Damon reminded, like that explained everything. Ric snorted, but it turned into a gasp when Damon´s lips found the sensitive spot on the side of his neck. “Does that mean every vampire is bisexual?” the teacher asked with some difficulty, while Damon`s mouth moved further south. “Not necessarily. There are more than enough boring ones, like my brother for example. I on the other hand have always been a little more… experimental as well. Add that to the fact that I`ve been on this world for quite some time…” he explained, but had to realize that his lover wasn`t really paying attention anymore.

Alaric had both hands fisted in the sheets and was fighting the urge to simply push Damon´s head where he wanted it. But he had started this little game. Now Damon was turning the tables on him and he just had to take it. And the dark-haired vampire was really enjoying his revenge. He spent long minutes mapping Ric`s torso with lips, tongue and teeth, before moving on to his thighs. Ric cursed loudly when Damon sank his fangs into the tender skin of his inner thigh without warning.

“God…” the teacher groaned, drawing a smirk from the older vampire. “You can call me Damon.” he murmured and chuckled when Ric sent him a dark look. Without taking his eyes off Alaric`s face he finally slid his mouth over the younger vampire´s impressive length, enjoying the way his eyes glazed over and the groan that slipped past his lips. Ric`s hips thrust upwards automatically, but Damon held him down and didn`t allow him to control the pace. He took his time, wanting to torture his lover a bit more. Still it didn`t take long until Ric came with a groan.

After finally letting go of the teacher, Damon moved back up, kissed his lover passionately and then cuddled against Ric`s broad, hairy chest with a  contended sigh. For a while they just laid there and enjoyed their newly-found closeness. Alaric was petting Damon`s hair, gently stroking his neck. “I love you.”

Damon bolted upright in shock. He stared at the teacher agape, wondering if he had only imagined the words. But no, he hadn`t. “Too early?” Ric asked with a  wry smile that couldn`t hide his nervousness. Damon was searching for words. He really hadn`t expected a declaration like that and needed a moment to calm his racing heart. “What happened to: I`m not going to say it first?” he asked finally, hinting at their talk at the motel parking lot.

Ric shrugged. “Changed my mind.” he muttered. Before Damon could reply to that he continued: “You know, I was always so scared you might find out and hate me. That you`d never want to see me again. That I`d lose you, if you knew. Back when… Tyler had bitten you, I… I almost told you. But then Elena was there, taking care of you and I thought… you loved her. So I kept quiet. And then it was suddenly too late and only after my death did I finally realize what an idiot I had been. You bought me, bought us a second chance. And I´m going to use that chance. I don`t ever want to be afraid of losing you again.”

Damon swallowed hard. He was completely taken aback by the honest declaration and felt at a loss for words. He couldn`t swallow past the giant lump in his throat. He knew what he felt. And he was pretty sure that Ric knew it, too. So why couldn`t he just say it? Why was it so hard to say three little words?

Alaric stroked his cheek gently. “It`s okay. You don`t have to say anything.” he assured. Damon could see no disappointment or anger in his eyes. Only understanding. Ric knew him like no-one else. He pulled Damon down and the older vampire cuddled against his side once more. He laid his head on Ric`s chest and listened to his steady heart-beat. His own heart was still racing.  
Again they simply laid there for long minutes. Damon was waging an internal battle. Memories of Katherine swirled through his mind. Memories of her betrayal, of the pain he had felt, when he realized that she had never loved him. He frowned when he suddenly realized that she still had power over him. She had destroyed his life and he was allowing her to continue. He was allowing her to hold him back. He was letting the fear she had caused rule him.

“I love you, too.” It was only a whisper, but he knew that Ric had heard him. He could hear Alaric`s heart-beat accelerate, while the teacher pulled him even closer and dropped a kiss on his temple. And all of a sudden he felt strangely liberated. Like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. A smile spread over his lips and he sighed happily. What did it matter that his brother was acting like a dick, or that the little witch seemed even more judgemental than usual? He had finally found what he had been searching for all his life. Someone who loved him unconditionally.


	4. Chapter 4

Alaric walked quickly through the halls of Mystic Falls High, trying in vain to ignore the curious looks he received. Three days had gone by since Mrs. Lockwood spread the news that it hadn`t been him who died in that car crash. And still everyone was staring at him and whispering behind his back. Probably the worst thing about it was that he could hear exactly what they were saying. Vampire-hearing had its down-sides after all.  
   
He had just left the administration’s office, where he had signed a new contract. After thinking it through for some time and discussing it with Damon, who had been anything but helpful, Ric had decided to take Carol Lockwood up on her offer and work as a history teacher again. He would start next week, although he still wasn`t really sure if it was the right thing to do.  
   
He was still scared he might not be able to control his emotions and maybe even end up hurting a student. It was a fear he couldn`t shake, no matter how often Damon insisted that he was doing great. In the end he had only agreed to get his old job back, because he couldn`t find a good excuse not to do it. Officially he had only been home in Boston for a while, to help his parents while they recovered from an accident. Now he was back in Mystic Falls and what reason should he have for coming back, if not to resume his old life here? And that included his old job.  
   
Even Damon had agreed in the end and had promised to help him as best as he could. Although Ric wasn`t sure if he had been joking when he`d offered to bring him a blood-bag during lunch break. After all, the dark haired vampire insisted vehemently that Ric had to learn how to drink directly from the source. And Ric had to admit that his arguments were pretty reasonable. Still, just the thought of feeding from a human scared him shitless. What if he wouldn`t be able to stop? If he accidently killed someone? Became a ripper? He was a nearly un-killable original vampire. Would Damon even be strong enough to stop him if he had to?  
   
So far Damon had shown uncharacteristic patience with his boyfriend. He supplied him with blood-bags and taught him to control his emotions. He was a lot better at this than Alaric would have expected. On his first day back Damon had even allowed Ric to feed from him. Ric had been so afraid of hurting him. Of taking too much. But at that time it had been the best option. They`d been about to drive back from Lafayette, with no chance to get blood-bags on the way. Feeding from Damon had been better than not feeding at all and maybe even attacking Jeremy in the end.  
   
And it had been an incredible experience. Alaric couldn`t really describe the feeling. It was like feeding from Damon had brought them that much closer together. The dark haired vampire had later confessed, that it was a very intimate act, to feed from another vampire. It was something that usually only lovers did. The fact that he had offered it made Ric love him even more.  
   
Alaric stopped in the hallway to watch a dark haired guy, who was setting up some sort of exhibition with the help of a few students. Alaric had passed the guy in the hallway earlier and had found him strange, without being able to tell why. Something about him just felt off. Maybe it was the strange glint in his eyes. And what the hell was the guy doing over there? Ric saw mostly a bunch of old stones and wondered what could be so interesting about that.   
   
“Hey, what are you doing here?” The teacher jumped in shock at the voice next to him. He had been so completely lost in thought that he hadn`t even heard Caroline approaching. “I just signed a new contract. Starting next week I`ll be your history teacher again.” he explained, glad that at least the blonde was treating him normally. The other kids were all giving him pitying looks, obviously still convinced that Damon was just playing with him. The tense atmosphere was really grating on his nerves.  
   
“That`s great. Your replacement was a complete idiot!” Caroline let him know. Ric laughed and looked back at the stranger. “Who is that?” The blonde followed his line of sight and shrugged. “Oh, that`s Professor Shane. He usually teaches at Whitmore College. He took over the classes of Bonnie`s Grams. He`s here to do an exhibition on occultism.” she explained. “Occultism?” Ric questioned, wondering what that had to do with those old stones.  
   
“He knows a lot about witches and stuff. Bonnie`s totally into him. He contacted her some time ago, because he`d found some stuff that belonged to her Grams. And he`s helping her with her magic. She`s spending a lot of time with him lately.” Professor Shane glanced in their direction and Ric had to suppress a shudder. He couldn`t tell why, but the guy was creepy. “Is he a warlock?” That could explain his uneasy feeling. But Caroline shook her head. “No, just a normal human. But he knows a lot.“  
   
The teacher didn`t like that. Bonnie was behaving strangely and then there was this Professor, who knew a lot about witches and spent a lot of time with her… Sighing the teacher shook his head. He was just being paranoid. But still… “What do you think of him?” he asked the blonde. Caroline shrugged. “I don`t know. He seems nice. Bonnie really likes him. And he`s… well, hot.“ she mumbled. “But?“ Ric prodded. „But… he`s a little… creepy.“ Caroline admitted.  
   
“Good. At least I`m not the only one who feels it.” Alaric murmured and Caroline looked at him in surprise. “You think he`s creepy, too?” she asked. “Yeah. I have no idea what it is, but the guy definitely gives me the creeps.“ he admitted, without taking his eyes off the Professor. “Yeah, well.. whatever it is, I feel it, too. But I`ve got to go now. See you later.“ Caroline finally took her leave.  
   
Alaric mused that he should probably go home. Damon would be waiting for him and since he had to walk at human speed it would take some time. On the other hand he had a feeling that it might be a good idea to find out more about the strange Professor. Hesitating a little, he finally made his way over and looked at the old stones. A few seconds later the Professor greeted him with a friendly smile. “Hey, I don`t think we`ve met. I`m Atticus Shane.” Ric shook his hand. „Alaric Saltzman. I`m the history teacher.“ he introduced himself.  
   
Shane gave him a curious look. „Ah yes, the one who got resurrected from the dead.“ he commented. Ric had no idea if the guy had just heard the rumours and was trying to make a joke or if Bonnie had told him the truth. The way he was looking at him was strange. So he just nodded and forced a smile to his face. “Exactly.”  
   
Not giving Shane a chance to reply to that, Alaric pointed to the stones on the low table. “So, what`s all that?” The professor seemed very pleased by his interest and started explaining eagerly: “This is what people believed to be the world’s first tombstone. It belonged to a very powerful witch. Maybe the most powerful of all times. Her story is fascinating and very tragic. Do you want to hear it?” Ric shrugged. “Sure, why not.”  
   
“It`s pretty much a tragic love story. The witch created a spell that would grant her and her lover immortality, so they`d never have to part.  Sadly for her, Silas, her lover, wanted to give immortality to another woman. The end of the story is tragic, as can be expected. The witch killed the other woman and buried Silas alive, leaving him powerless, immortal, and alone, waiting for a chance to rise again.”  
   
Shane`s eyes had taken on a faraway-look, like he was seeing something, that wasn`t there. His voice sounded strange and Ric shuddered. The professor seemed to believe in that legend. Finally he shook himself out of his trance and looked at Ric again. “Really fascinating.” the teacher agreed. “But I really have to get going. It was nice meeting you. And thanks for the story.”  
   
“Yes, of course. I`ll be here for a few more days. I`m sure we`ll meet again. And I hope you`re coming to the opening of my exhibition tomorrow.” Alaric forced a smile to his face. “I`m not sure if I can make it.” He took his leave and hastily walked away. After this brief encounter he was convinced that there was really something off about the professor.  
   
###  
   
When Alaric reached the boarding house Damon greeted him with the words: “What took you so long?” The teacher sighed. “Paper work. You know how it is. And I had to walk back from school.“ He wasn`t sure if he should tell his boyfriend about Professor Shane. He couldn`t even explain to himself why he didn`t trust the guy. “You could have called. I would`ve picked you up.” Ric only shrugged and mused that he really needed to get a new car. His own had been destroyed in the accident Sheriff Forbes had staged to fake his death.   
   
“When will you start working again?” the older vampire asked. “Next week.” Damon rolled his eyes, obviously not happy about this answer. Ric walked over and pulled him into his arms. “Hey, I`m still unsure if it was a good idea or not myself. I`m scared of accidently eating a student, you know? But we talked about this and I thought we had agreed that I have no good excuse not to work as a teacher again.”  
   
“Yeah, we did.” Damon agreed with a sigh. „And you won`t eat anyone. You like your students. Mostly. And you`re control is really good.“ He stopped himself from mentioning that Ric really had to learn how to drink from the source. They had been discussing this often enough over the last few days. He didn`t want to get into a fight again. He could even understand Ric`s fear. The teacher still had a hard time coming to terms with the fact that he was a vampire now. After all, it wasn`t something he had chosen willingly. It had been forced on him.  
   
Damon was trying really hard to help him. To see it from his point of view, to be patient and understanding. He could even understand him on some level. Stefan had practically forced him to complete the transition. It hadn`t been his choice either. But no matter how much he understood what Ric was going through, he knew it would do no good to let the teacher continue like this. Ric had to accept the fact that he was a vampire now. With everything that entailed.  
   
Stefan had also offered his help, but the teacher had declined and told him to concentrate on Elena instead. The younger Salvatore had frowned and looked worried. He really believed he was the only one who could show a new vampire the ropes. Damon was still waiting to see how that would turn out for Elena, who only fed from animals so far. He was starting to worry that Stefan was unknowingly raising a new ripper. But that was probably Stefan`s problem.  
   
“Want to head to the Grill?” the dark-haired vampire asked, changing the subject. Ric nodded. “Sure. But maybe I should…“ He didn`t have to finish his sentence. Damon knew what he meant and had to bite his tongue so he wouldn`t start the by now familiar discussion. “You know where the blood-bags are.” he mumbled without looking at his boyfriend. Ric didn`t reply, but Damon could hear him going downstairs and opening the freezer.  
   
Once he had returned to the library he took Damon`s hand and waited, until the older vampire looked at him. “I know that you`re right. But.. I just need some more time. Okay?“ he asked quietly. The older one sighed and nodded. Not much else he could do, when Ric was giving him that pleading and insecure look. “Okay.” He would give him time. A day. Maybe two. „Thank you.“ the teacher whispered, dropping a quick kiss on his lips.  
   
Since the inevitable discussion was postponed once more, they headed to the Mystic Grill and took their usual seats at the bar. Once again Ric could feel all eyes on himself, while the other guests gossiped among each other. Obviously there were still a few people who hadn`t heard of his return yet and were now being filled in by others. It was almost amusing how much the story Carol Lockwood had told the press had been altered by now. Just this morning Ric had heard the newest version, stating that he`d witnessed a murder and had been placed in the Witness protection program.  
   
But no matter how funny it could be, all this getting stared at was really grating on his nerves. He hated being the centre of attention and he hated it even more, when people talked behind his back. Of course Damon noticed that. “Maybe we should give them a real reason to gossip.” he suggested with a dirty grin. Ric chuckled, but quickly looked away. It wouldn`t do to give Damon ideas.  
   
But then again, could it really get worse? Already people were staring at him. Pointing fingers at him and gossiping behind his back. And it didn`t look like they were going to stop anytime soon. Alaric hesitated a second and then made a spontaneous decision. Half-turning towards the older vampire he put his hand high on Damon`s leg. Damon raised his eyebrows and gave him a curious look. “Maybe you`re right.” Ric murmured slowly. „Maybe it`s better to get it over with right now and give them something to talk about, then to wait a few more weeks and start this shit anew.”  
   
The teacher was all too aware of the many stares directed their way. It felt like everyone was watching them. But he didn`t want to keep his relationship secret. He had wasted too much time being afraid. So why not get it over with right now? Damon seemed very happy with that idea. With a grin he moved closer and sealed the teacher`s lips with a chaste kiss. Alaric kissed him back, albeit a little reluctantly. He hadn`t really expected this, but he also didn`t have objections. If they had to out themselves, why not do it with a bang?  
   
The kiss lasted only a few seconds. After breaking apart they turned back to the bar. The noise was deafening. Ric could practically feel all the eyes staring at his back and some of what was being said he would`ve heard even without his enhanced hearing. Damon seemed to enjoy all the attention and the uproar they had caused.  Ric on the other hand felt uncomfortable and was almost regretting his decision. But now it was too late to turn back.  
   
“I met a certain Professor Shane earlier today. He`s helping Bonnie with her magic.” he told Damon in an attempt to take his mind off of the whispering people around them. “Okay. So?” Damon looked like he didn`t understand the sudden change of topic. “That guy is creepy. I don`t know what it is, but… he gives me Goosebumps.” Alaric admitted quietly. The older vampire gave him a curious look. He seemed about to make fun of him, but then thought better of it. “When he`s helping Bonnie he`s probably a witch as well. They can be creepy.”  
   
“No, Caroline said he`s a normal human. He just knows a lot about witches.” Ric explained. “You discussed him with vampire Barbie?” Damon asked, clearly annoyed. „She was walking past when I was watching him. She feels it, too.“ The dark haired vampire snorted. “I can`t explain it, but… I have a bad feeling about the guy. I just think we should have an eye on him.” the teacher continued.  
   
Damon was about to answer, when suddenly Matt chimed in. The barkeeper had just put new drinks in front of them and heard the last of their talk. “You`re talking about Professor Shane?” The older vampire gave him a dark look, clearly annoyed at being interrupted. Alaric on the other hand was glad that Matt was talking to them normally again. “Yes, I met him earlier today. You know him?”  
   
“I got roped into helping him set up his exhibition and he asked a lot of strange questions.” the blond teen let them know. “What kind of questions?” Damon asked. „About Mystic Falls and the people who live here. He wanted to know if there had been strangers visiting lately. Or if there had been weird things happening. Stuff like that. And April said he knew her dad. Maybe I`m getting paranoid, but I think that`s suspicious.” Matt answered eagerly.  
   
“April?” Alaric couldn`t remember hearing that name before. He never had a student who was called April. “April Young. Pastor Young`s daughter. She went to a boarding school somewhere, but now she`s back. She`s living with her uncle`s family now.” Matt explained. Damon and Alaric exchanged a quick look. They knew exactly what the other was thinking. A strange Professor, who was asking a lot of questions and who had also known the Pastor, who´s Farm had gotten blown up with most of the council members inside.  
   
“Alright. I`m calling Liz. Maybe she can dig something up about that Professor.“ the dark haired vampire finally agreed. Ric nodded, glad that Damon was taking him seriously. Matt went back to work, while the two vampires enjoyed their drinks. But still Alaric could hear the mutters all around them. New guests had arrived and now were being told the exciting news.  
   
He glanced over his shoulder when he heard someone mutter “fucking fags…”, but he couldn`t tell who had said it. At least half of the other patrons were openly staring at him and Damon. Most of them looked away quickly, when he tried to meet their eyes. Then he looked to the door and spied Elena, Stefan and Bonnie entering the Grill. Great, just what he needed right now. He didn`t miss the dark look the young witch cast their way. Rolling his eyes in annoyance he turned back to Damon. “Let`s head back to your place.”  
   
Damon looked at him with raised eyebrows and seemed about to make a sarcastic comment. But then he spied the three supernatural teenagers heading their way and smirked. Ric was expecting the worst. And he was right, because seconds later Damon stated loudly: “No, Ric I don`t have handcuffs at home. But we could ask Sheriff Forbes to lend us some if you like.”  
   
Ric felt the sudden urge to throttle his boyfriend. Instead he emptied his glass and put some money on the counter, without looking at Matt. Pointedly ignoring Damon he got up and walked towards the exit, passing Elena, Stefan and Bonnie on his way. He greeted them with a nod and tried in vain to ignore their pitying looks.  
   
Damon caught up to him when he reached the parking lot. “Come on, Ric. Don`t be such a bore. That was funny.“ the dark haired vampire insisted. „Maybe for you.“ Ric barked, searching his pockets for the car keys until he remembered that he didn`t have a car at the moment. They had driven here in Damon´s Camaro. He was seriously contemplating just walking home, when the older vampire appeared next to him and pressed him against the side of the car.  
   
“I`m sorry. You know me. Sometimes I just do stupid things. Come home with me and I`ll make it up to you.” Damon promised, giving him an innocent look. He didn`t look sorry at all. In fact he looked rather smug. But an apology was somewhat a novelty. For a few moments they just stood there. Finally Alaric relented. He pulled his boyfriend closer and hugged him. How the hell was he supposed to stay mad at Damon, when the guy kept looking at him like that? And he did know Damon. He should`ve known what he was getting himself into. “You better.” he finally murmured.  
   
They got into the car and Damon pulled his mobile phone out of his pocket. “I`m calling Liz.” he explained, earning himself a sceptical look from Alaric. “Because of the weird Professor, Ric.” Damon stated, rolling his eyes, before continuing with a grin: “But if you like I can also ask her about handcuffs.” Ric had to bite back a grin himself. “No need. I think I`ve got some vervaine soaked ropes lying around somewhere.“ he shot back. “Ouch.” Damon commented with a pout.  
   
Then he gave the teacher a calculating look. “How about a compromise? We`ll find something that won`t burn both of us and I`ll let you tie me to the bed. Or to a chair or whatever.” he purred. Ric bit his lip in thought. He wasn`t sure if his boyfriend was serious, but the offer was tempting. “Deal.” he finally murmured, leaning back in his seat. Damon grinned and dialled Liz’ number.  
   
###  
   
Once at the boarding house Damon “apologized” enthusiastically, but without ropes or anything. Afterwards they grabbed a bottle of bourbon and settled down in front of the fireplace. Alaric couldn`t remember the last time he had been able to just sit on the couch and read a book. The Salvatores had a rather spectacular library and Damon had generously told him to take whatever he wanted. The dark haired vampire had grabbed a book himself and was currently cuddled against Ric`s side, although he appeared to be dowsing instead of reading.  
   
Of course the peace and quiet was short lived. All too soon they were interrupted by Elena and Stefan. “Half the town is gossiping about you two!” Elena stated accusingly. “Matt pretends he hasn`t seen anything, since he was back in the storage room, but Bethany Fell said you two were making out in the Grill.” The brunette stopped in front of the couch and glared down at the two men, obviously waiting for them to deny it. Damon looked up at her over the edge of his book. “So?”  
   
“You… you didn`t…” Elena stammered completely shocked. „Well, I wouldn`t they we were making out. It was only one innocent little kiss.” the dark haired vampire murmured. The brunette shook her head, visibly searching for words. “What the hell were you thinking? Alaric?” she looked at the teacher, who had been quiet so far. Now he put his book down with a sigh and met her eyes. “I`m not keeping my relationship secret. And since everyone is already pointing fingers at me and whispering behind my back I thought it wouldn`t really change much.”  
   
“I don`t believe this!” Elena practically screamed, shaking her head and storming upstairs. Stefan, who had been strangely silent the whole time, just cast a speculating look towards his brother before following her. “Sounds like we`re the town gossip.” Damon commented rather pleased with himself. Alaric didn`t answer. He was seriously contemplating not leaving the house for the next few days. Maybe the first uproar would die down then.  
   
Shortly after Elena and Stefan had disappeared upstairs, where Ric could still hear them arguing, when he concentrated, they were again interrupted. This time it by the ringing of Damon´s cell phone. “Liz, my favourite Sheriff.” the dark haired vampire joked. Ric rolled his eyes and listened in on their conversation. “Damon, I checked that Professor, like you asked me to. Well… for the most part he`s inconspicuous. No police record, not even a parking ticket or anything. But then something caught my eye.”  
   
“Okay, go on.” Damon prodded. „I recognized his office number. It took me a moment to place it, but then I remembered that I had seen it while checking Pastor Young`s phone records. He called this number almost every day for the last month. And on the day of the explosion there were ten phone calls from Pastor Young to Professor Shane.” Liz explained. Damon and Ric shared a quick look. „Okay, that is suspicious. Thanks for your help, Liz.“  
   
„Anytime. That`s my job.“ she assured. Hesitating a moment she continued: “Damon… I can`t do more here. I can`t even question Shane about Pastor Young, because the investigation concerning the explosion is closed. It was declared as a tragic accident. If he really had something to do with it…” she broke off, but Damon knew what she meant. “Ric and I are going to find out more about that Professor.” he promised.  Liz thanked him and hung up.  
   
“Okay, you were right. There`s definitely something off about that guy.” Damon had to admit. Alaric was glad that he hadn`t imagined things. Even though he would have preferred the alternative. After all, they had no idea what Shane wanted. “Maybe we should talk to him. Any idea where we can find him?” the dark haired vampire asked. “Yeah, at the school. He invited me to the opening of his exhibition tomorrow.” Damon nodded. “Good. Then we`ll go to his exhibition.“


	5. Chapter 5

Early next day Damon and Alaric went to the school, where Professor Shane was just opening his exhibition. He talked a little about his work, told the story Alaric had already heard yesterday and then encouraged everyone to look around. While the students wandered around, looking at the artefacts, the two vampires went to join the Professor.  
   
“Mr. Saltzman, glad you could make it.” Shane greeted them with a friendly smile. “How do you like the exhibition?” Ric forced himself to smile back. “It`s really interesting. Where did you get all this?” he wanted to know. “I journey a lot and if you know where to look or who to ask it`s quite easy to find interesting stuff.” Shane answered evasively. “And what brings you to Mystic Falls?” Damon chimed in. „Well I`ve been doing this thing for a while now. It's like a one man traveling occult exhibit to small towns.” was the next, vague answer. “But I don`t think we`ve met so far.” the professor noticed.  
   
“No, but I heard a lot about you. Damon Salvatore, pleasure to meet you in person.” the vampire murmured with a smile. “Oh really? What exactly have you heard?“ Shane asked. Damon smirked and Ric glanced around nervously, making sure no-one was paying attention to them. He was pretty sure his boyfriend was about to say something stupid any time now. When it came to questioning suspicious people, Damon was usually about as subtle as a brick.  
   
“Oh a lot. You seem to know lots of things. And I`ve heard you`ve known quite a few citizens of this nice little town. Unfortunately for us, most of them are dead now. Like Pastor Young for example.” Damon answered and Ric rolled his eyes. Just like he expected. „Yes, we met at Whitmore College, when the Pastor was teaching a theology seminar. But I wouldn`t say we really knew each other very well.”   
   
“Really? Well that`s strange, because I hear you two racked up a pretty impressive phone bill. Right up to the day he blew himself up.” Damon stated. The professor stiffened, but tried to keep up his smile. “Was that an accusation? If you want to know something about me, Damon, just ask.” Of course Damon didn`t have to be told twice. “Okay. How did you convince the Pastor to kill all those people?”  
   
Alaric stifled a sigh. They really needed to work on Damon´s interrogation-techniques. Luckily no-one was paying attention to them. “Did you just accuse me of mass murder?” Shane asked with a disbelieving look. Damon simply shrugged. For a moment the professor met his stare. Then he shook his head and turned away, stating that there were people with relevant questions and that he couldn`t help Damon with his conspiracy theory.  
   
“Great, Damon. Really subtle.” Ric commented drily. „You could`ve chimed in any time, if you didn`t like my questions.” the dark haired vampire snarked back. “So… what do you think?” Ric changed the subject, not wanting to get into a fight. Damon was right after all. He could`ve at least tried to intervene. “About Professor Creepy? I guess you`re right. There`s something off about him.“ the older vampire admitted.  
   
They spent a few more minutes watching Shane, but the guy was behaving completely normal. He talked to students and teachers, answered questions and explained different artefacts, always with a  friendly smile and an aura of extreme patience. Alaric and Damon shared a look and then left the building. “And now? We didn`t exactly learn anything helpful. And I don´t think he`ll be more chatty if we try again.“ Ric mused. “We could ask with a little more force next time.” Damon suggested, even though he already knew Ric would say no.  
   
“Torture him, you mean? No way, Damon.” Ric declined. „The guy may be shady, but maybe we`re wrong about him.” The dark haired vampire rolled his eyes. Sometimes his boyfriend was totally boring. “Alright, no torture. That leaves only one option: We need to snoop around a bit. You said he usually teaches at Whitmore College?“ he asked. “Yeah, Caroline said he took over the classes of Bonnie`s Grams.” the teacher confirmed. “Okay. Let´s start there.”  
   
Sounded logical, so Ric agreed. Plus, it would also mean a little trip and he was glad for any chance to leave town for a day or two. His enthusiasm was quickly dimmed however, when Damon suddenly decided: “That would also be the perfect opportunity for you to learn how to drink from the source.” Alaric looked at his boyfriend slowly, searching for words. But Damon beat him to it. “I know you said you need time. And I understand. But the longer you wait, the more you`re getting yourself caught up in this crazy idea that you`ll rip someone`s head off. You need to learn, Ric. I thought we agreed on that.”  
   
Damn, how could he say no, when Damon suddenly tried logic and understanding? With a sigh he finally agreed. “Alright. But you…“ he didn`t need to finish that sentence. “Don`t worry. I won`t let you kill someone. I`ll be watching you like a hawk. If it makes you feel better I can pack a few vervaine darts and knock you out in case of emergency.“ The younger vampire was pretty sure that his boyfriend was only joking, but he nodded anyway. “Yeah, do that. And don`t hesitate to use them.”  
   
Damon rolled his eyes and got into the car. “Stop being so damn melodramatic. You`re almost as bad as Stefan. Nothing`s gonna happen.” Ric slumped into the passenger seat and chose not to comment on that. “When are we going?” he asked instead. “How about right now? We can be there by early afternoon and the sooner we find out more about Professor Creepy the better.“ the dark haired vampire reasoned. “Okay.” Ric agreed.  
   
They packed a few things and Ric wrote a quick message for Elena and Jeremy, to let them know that they would be gone for a few days. Once again the teacher mused that he really needed a new car. It was really annoying to have to rely on Damon´s showy little Camaro. Even if he had to admit that the car was really fast. Especially with Damon driving.  
   
The two vampires reached Whitmore College in no time at all and looked around curiously. “Where do we start?” Ric asked. Damon shrugged. „His office? Even if we can find out where he lives, we won`t be able to get in.” he reasoned. The teacher had to admit that he was right, so they went to the reception desk and asked where Shane`s office was. The bored looking secretary didn`t even feel the need to tell them that Shane wasn`t here. She merely gave them the room-number and pointed them in the right direction, before going back to her crossword-puzzle.  
   
The two of them went into the direction she had pointed at. Damon was counting the numbers and was just about to mention that they should reach the right office soon, when Ric suddenly grabbed his arm, pulled him around the corner and pushed him against the wall. The dark haired vampire raised an eyebrow in question. “Not that I don`t appreciate this spontaneous idea, but I think we`d have a little more privacy in Shane´s office.” he commented with a smirk.  
   
Alaric however wasn`t trying to kiss him or rip his clothes off, like he had expected. Instead the younger vampire held him firmly pressed to the wall and told him to be quiet, while he glanced around the corner. “What`s wrong?” Damon asked, now completely puzzled. „That guy over there… that`s the hunter.“ Ric whispered. Damon glanced around the corner as well and spied a tall, dark-skinned guy, who was pounding on the door of some office. “What hunter?” he muttered, still not understanding. “The hunter who tried to kill Tyler at the memorial.” Ric grumbled and pulled him back.  
   
„Are you sure? Stefan said the guy was dead.” Damon reminded him. But he had to admit that he looked somewhat familiar. “I am sure.” Ric insisted and cast another glance at the hunter. Damon did the same, ignoring Ric´s protest to stay hidden. “I think that`s Shane`s office he`s trying to get into.” the older vampire whispered. Alaric pushed him back again and both vampires held their breath, when they heard the guy starting to pace. After a few seconds he stopped again and pulled out his cell phone.  
   
“I told you not to call me. I thought I had made myself clear!” they could distinctly hear Professor Shane`s voice on the other end of the line. “Why the hell did you send me to Mystic Falls? Do you have any idea what I’ve been through? I’ve spent days chained up by an Original vampire.” the hunter barked. Damon and Ric exchanged surprised looks. Shane mumbled some nonsense about Klaus and how to kill a hybrid and the hunter complained that he could`ve used this knowledge.  
   
“We had a deal.” the professor reminded him. “You want to know why I sent you to Mystic Falls? Because you need to kill vampires to complete your hunters mark. And there`s no shortage of vampires in this town. So stop whining and go do your job. And remember to leave the witch out of it. She`s essential for my plans.” he ordered, before hanging up. The hunter grumbled something and disappeared down the corridor.  
   
Damon and Alaric slowly left their hiding place. Finally Damon remembered where he had seen that guy. “I saw him at the Grill once. He wanted to talk to Liz.” Ric nodded absently, still staring along the corridor as if he was afraid the hunter might come back. “So… Professor Creepy set the weird hunter-guy on us.” the dark-haired vampire mused. “Let´s have a look around his office. I want to know what he`s up to.” Ric decided.  
   
Of course the office door was locked. The teacher had already expected this and had come prepared. He pulled a pocket-knife out of his jacket and started working on the lock. Only seconds later the door opened. “You can pick locks?” Damon asked, clearly impressed. Ric shrugged a little sheepishly. „Well, I did some stupid things in my youth.“ he mumbled. “Good to know.” the older vampire grinned.  
   
They snuck into the office and closed the door quietly behind them. Damon wasn`t sure what he`d been expecting, but the office looked disappointingly normal. The desk was littered with papers and there were a few shelves filled with books and files. Only here and there he could see a strange artefact, but those could just as well be souvenirs from a holiday. Everything looked a little chaotic, but not at all creepy. When he mentioned that, Ric gave him a mocking look. “What were you expecting? Skulls and candles? A talking witch hat?“  
   
„I wasn`t expecting this.“ Damon mumbled with a pout. “Let`s go through the desk first.” the teacher decided. Damon agreed and they started by looking through the papers on top of the desk. Most of it was related to Shane`s classes. Lesson plans, half-corrected essays and notes about some students. The only interesting thing was a small slip of paper which had different names scribbled on it. Bonnie Bennett was among them.  
   
“He said to that hunter guy that the witch is essential for his plans. So whatever he´s planning, he needs Bonnie to do it.” Ric mumbled. He thought back to his last encounters with the young witch and shuddered. She had changed. She seemed angry and almost evil. Darker somehow. His unease was growing.  
   
The drawers proved a little more interesting. Ric had to pick the locks on two of them, but he was rewarded with a bunch of research. He scanned it quickly. “This says something about a fellowship of the five and a hunters mark. Wasn`t Shane talking about a hunters mark?” he asked. “Yeah, he said the guy had to kill vampires to complete it.” Damon agreed, pulling out another stack of papers. “Here is some stuff about that Silas-guy. And I`ve seen the name Quetsiah quite a few times. Why does that sound familiar?” the dark haired vampire mused.  
   
“Quetsiah? I think I`ve heard that before. But I can`t place it right now.“ Ric had to admit. “I think it would be best if we made copies of everything that looks interesting. Then we can go through it at home.” he suggested. Damon nodded. “Good idea. Can you make the copies, while I go through the shelves? The sooner we`re out of here, the better.” The office wasn`t actually creepy, but being here still gave him the creeps. There was definitely something shady about that professor.  
   
“Sure. I think I saw a copier back there somewhere.” Ric agreed. He grabbed the documents they had found so far, slipped through the door and headed back in the direction they had come from. Luckily the hallways were pretty deserted and the few people he passed didn`t pay him much attention. He reached the right room without problems and breathed a sigh of relief to find it empty. Still he kept glancing over his shoulder nervously, while he made copies of Shane`s documents.  
   
When he was finished he grabbed everything and was just about to leave the room, when suddenly a security guard blocked his way. Ric jumped in shock. “Sorry, didn`t see you.” he apologized without looking at the guard, trying to push past him. That obviously caught the guy´s attention, because he stopped Ric. “I don`t think we`ve met. And I usually have a very good memory.” The teacher cursed inwardly. „I`m new here.“ he lied, which only served to make the guard more suspicious. “Is that so? I wasn`t informed about a new professor.”   
   
Ric finally looked at the guy directly and spoke calmly. “You must`ve forgotten it. I`ve been working here for a week now. And now please let me pass. I`m in a hurry.” The security guard nodded and stepped aside. „I forgot it. You`ve been working here for a week.“ he repeated in a monotone voice. Ric gave him a suspicious look, until he realized that he had obviously just compelled the guy without even meaning to.  
   
“Not bad for the first time.” Damon murmured, suddenly showing up behind him. Alaric whirled around to face him. “I.. I didn`t mean… It was an accident.“ he stammered, causing Damon to grin. „Whatever. Since you`re already at it, tell him to leave and forget us.“ Ric hesitated, but Damon urged him to go on, so he turned back to the guard. “You never saw us. We were never here. And now go and don`t come back for an hour or so.“ he ordered. The guard turned around and left. Ric watched him go with mixed emotions. On one hand he was rather proud of himself, for being able to compel him so easily. On the other hand it was a little frightening how easy it had been.  
   
“I found a few more things that look promising. But mostly it was just some weird books. And I found a cupboard filled with about a dozen candles and a few jars containing herbs.” Damon let the younger vampire know. “Okay. I`ll make copies of that. Then we can put it back and get the hell out of here.“ Ric decided, taking the papers and quickly putting them in the copier.  
   
They put the documents back into the drawers and then looked at the herbs. “Do you think those are witchy herbs? Or maybe he smokes them?” Damon mused. Ric just shrugged. Herbs really weren`t his area of expertise. „No vervaine.“ he noticed and Damon nodded. After discussing it for a moment they put the herbs back into the cupboard, grabbed the copies and left. The secretary was still engrossed in her crossword puzzle and didn`t even look at them as they passed her desk.  
   
“Okay, that was helpful. And informative.” Damon murmured, while they left the building and walked back towards the car. “Yes, I think the drive paid off. I only hope we can find out what he`s up to.” Alaric agreed. He turned his head and found that Damon was no longer listening. The dark haired vampire was looking at a flyer. Ric didn`t like the way he was grinning. He was fearing the worst and his fears were confirmed when Damon passed him the flyer and declared: “I know what we`ll be doing tonight.”  
   
“A murder house party? Aren`t we a bit too old for stuff like that?” the teacher asked sceptically. “You`re never too old for college parties, Ric.” Damon chastised. „And besides, that party is the perfect place for your first lesson in snatch, eat, erase. Lots of willing victims and no-one paying attention to what´s going on in the dark corners.” Alaric swallowed hard. He had concentrated only on professor Shane and completely forgotten that they were here for a different reason as well.  
   
Damon however didn`t give him time to dwell on it. He grabbed his hand and dragged him towards the car. “Come on. We need to find outfits. Do you want to go as killer or victim?”


	6. Chapter 6

Two hours later Alaric was stretched out on the ridiculously large bed in the comfortable suite Damon had gotten them. The teacher would have been happy just staying at a motel, but his boyfriend had demanded to stay in a four star hotel instead. Ric doubted that he would pay for the suite. It was the only explanation why Damon had insisted on going to the reception desk alone and had made Ric wait outside in the car.  
   
He looked up when the dark haired vampire emerged from the bathroom and had to smile. Damon had dragged him into a costume store and had suddenly been obsessed with the idea of going as Jack the Ripper. Ric had humoured him, but had insisted that he didn´t need a costume as well. After some discussions Damon had called him a bore and had given up.  
   
“Come on, up with you. The frat girls are waiting for us.” Damon grinned. Ric thought he looked way to giddy about the prospect of snacking on a bunch of young girls. He had to bite his tongue to keep from reminding Damon once again not to let him kill anyone. The older vampire had promised him again and again to watch him. He would keep his promise, even without being reminded again.  
   
With a sigh Alaric got up and followed his boyfriend. The drive to the campus took only about ten minutes. Ric would`ve liked to postpone the inevitable a little longer. They reached the house where the party was being held and were invited in by some pimple faced boy, who mumbled something about free drinks. The house was dimly lit and filled with people. It smelled strongly of smoke, sweat and alcohol. Loud music was blaring from the speakers.  
   
Damon led him into the main room and pointed to a group of girls, dancing wildly. “Pick your poison.” Ric`s heart was hammering and he felt nervous as hell. But Damon was right. He had to learn. He had to do this now. He scanned the dance floor and his eyes landed on a pretty little brunette, who was just walking off the dance floor. Damon followed his line of sight. “Cute.” he commented. „Okay, go over there and do exactly what I told you.“  
   
Alaric took a deep breath and went over to intercept the girl. He could practically feel Damon´s eyes on himself. Knowing that his boyfriend was watching gave him courage. The girl looked suspicious for a second, but instantly reacted to his compulsion. “Be calm. Don`t scream. I`m not going to hurt you.“ he promised, before casting a glance back at Damon, who nodded encouragingly.  
   
Another deep breath, then Ric was pulling the girl towards himself. He leaned over her and sank his fangs into her tender neck, groaning when her sweet, hot blood rushed into his mouth. It was completely different from blood-bags. He could hear her heart-beat, her slightly erratic breathing, feel her soft skin, that smelled faintly of roses. And her blood was hot and so good, rushing into his mouth, strengthening him and he never wanted to stop drinking. But he reminded himself that she was human. After a few gulps he reluctantly pulled away, licked the last drops from his lips and felt his features returning to normal.  
   
All of a sudden Damon was next to him and there was no mistaking his proud grin. “See, wasn`t that hard, was it? Now tell her to forget everything. And give her a drop of blood to heal the bite-mark.” he instructed. Alaric did as he was told and gave her a drop of his blood. “Forget what just happened. You never saw me.” he ordered. The girl continued on her way like nothing had happened. Damon was still grinning. “More?” he asked. Finally Ric allowed a grin to spread over his face as well. „More.“ he agreed and went looking for his next victim.  
   
He stopped counting after the third girl. Damon was no longer watching him. Ric could see him a few feet away, feeding on a redhead. But he wasn`t worried. It was a lot easier than he`d expected. Of course there was always the temptation to just keep drinking until the girl was dead. But he just needed a little will-power and the reminder that he didn`t want to hurt anyone to resist that temptation.  
   
All too soon he was getting almost high on fresh blood. He could practically feel how he got stronger and more powerful with each sip. At this moment he felt truly indestructible. His eyes scanned the room for another victim and a bark of laughter bubbled out of him. He didn`t even know what was so funny. Maybe the dark-skinned girl with the wild locks, who was flirting shamelessly and trying to lure him into a dark corner. Smirking Alaric followed her. Her blood tasted rich and spicy.  
   
He lost all sense of time. Couldn`t tell if they had been at the party for hours or only minutes. If it was still dark outside or already getting close to morning. He didn`t care. After a while he found himself on the dance floor. In front of him was a tall blonde, who smelled strongly of alcohol and some fruity shower gel. “Be calm. Don`t scream.” The words flowed from his lips. He smirked when he spied Damon, who suddenly appeared behind the blonde. Both of them leaned forward and bit down. A few gulps and Ric pulled away, watched Damon do the same. He gave the girl some blood and she stumbled her way.  
   
Damon moved closer, put his arms around Ric`s neck and tried to get the teacher to dance with him. With a laugh Alaric complied, even though he usually hated dancing. His arms found their way around Damon´s waist and he pulled the dark haired vampire even closer. “How are you feeling?” the older vampire asked. “Good. Really good.“ Understatement of the century. He felt great. Incredibly alive. The dim light seemed so much brighter than it had when they first arrived. The loud music made his whole body vibrate. Damon seemed to glow in an unearthly light. „You`re so fucking beautiful.“ the teacher rasped and Damon laughed.  
   
Completely ignoring everyone around them, Ric´s hand moved to Damon´s neck and he pulled him closer for a kiss. It was no innocent, chaste kiss like the one they had shared yesterday at the Grill. Their lips met roughly and when Damon´s tongue pushed against Ric´s lips he opened them willingly. Their tongues moved over and around each other, fighting for dominance. When they finally pulled apart, both were breathing hard.  
   
“Let´s get out of here.” Damon suggested and Ric didn`t have to be told twice. He took his boyfriend`s hand, linking their fingers together and led him out. No-one seemed to take notice and at that moment the teacher couldn`t have cared less. He only had eyes for Damon. The fresh blood was pulsating in his veins and his jeans felt uncomfortably tight. This time the drive back to the hotel took less than eight minutes, which still felt like an eternity to Alaric.  
   
Once inside the lift he pushed the dark haired vampire against the wall and claimed his lips in another kiss. His hands found their way underneath Damon`s shirt, caressing the soft skin. The lift stopped and they stumbled into their suite without letting go of each other, shedding clothes as they went. Damon giggled when Ric pushed him down onto the large bed and followed by crawling over him. “We should go to college parties more often.” he mumbled against the soft skin of the teacher`s neck. “Sounds like a plan.” Ric agreed. At that moment he would agree to pretty much anything Damon proposed.  
   
“I`m going to hold you to that.” the dark-haired vampire warned, pushing the lube he had retrieved from his bag into his boyfriend`s hand. Ric instantly put the lube to use, preparing Damon with clever fingers, before replacing them with his throbbing cock. Damon gasped, wrapped his legs around Ric`s waist and arched against him. One of his hands fisted in the expensive sheets, the other moved erratically over Ric`s broad back, his fingernails creating deep, bloody gashes that healed almost instantly.  
   
Alaric bend down to kiss Damon again, while he continued thrusting into the willing body beneath him at an almost brutal pace, Damon`s moans spurring him on even further. He wrapped one hand around the dark-haired vampire`s erection, pumping it in time with his thrusts. Neither vampire heard the expensive sheets ripping in Damon´s strong grip. All too soon Damon felt himself propelled over the edge, the double stimulation proving too much for him. Alaric followed only seconds later, collapsing down on top of his boyfriend.  
   
After a while he pulled away reluctantly, rolling onto his back. For a moment they just laid there side by side, trying to catch their breath. Damon`s eyes scanned the ruined bed, noting the ripped, bloody sheets and he chuckled. Ric followed his line of sight and grinned as well. “Oops.” he murmured a little sheepishly, leaning over to kiss his boyfriend again. Lovingly this time and with less force. They kept on kissing for a few minutes, sharing gentle touches, feeling desire stirring once more.  
   
Damon gasped when Ric rolled him partially onto his side, spooned behind him and pushed into him again. This time their lovemaking was slow and gentle. Two bodies in perfect sync, moving in a rhythm that existed only for them. Alaric`s lips trailed over Damon`s shoulders and neck, causing goose bumps to rise on the dark haired vampire`s skin. “I love you.” the teacher whispered, sinking his fangs gently into Damon`s neck, coaxing a whimper from his lips. “Love you… too.” Damon answered, groaning when Ric`s talented hands brought him to orgasm again, just as he felt Ric filling him once more.  
   
They laid cuddled together, as close as two bodies could be. After a while they stumbled into the bathroom, cleaning off, before crawling into bed again. “We`re definitely going to go to college parties more often.” Damon decided, snuggling against Alaric`s hairy chest. The teacher just groaned in response, while he pulled the covers over both of them.


	7. Chapter 7

Alaric was the first to wake next morning. He just stayed where he was and thought back to last night. Somehow it all felt unreal in the light of the new day. After the first taste of blood he had felt almost like he was on drugs. Everything had been so much more intense. He had felt alive like he hadn`t in years. Which was pretty ironic, considering that he was technically dead.  
   
“Feeling guilty about last night?” Damon´s voice suddenly cut through his musings. Ric thought about it for a second and then shook his head. “Not really. I mean… I didn`t hurt anyone, right?” he mumbled. „Of course you didn`t. You were great. Like I said, there was never any danger of you killing someone.” the dark-haired vampire agreed, before asking: “Any other pangs of conscience we need to talk about?” The teacher hesitated. If he was completely honest he had to admit that he was a little shocked about his own behaviour. He almost didn`t recognize himself.  
   
But, no that wasn`t completely true. Yesterday he had acted like back in his early college days. Back then he had spent nights drinking with his buddies, making out with girls or boys he didn`t even know the names of, waking up in stranger´s beds the next morning. Last night he had been the young, carefree and reckless Alaric of his early college years, not the responsible, grown up teacher and guardian to two kids.  
   
“Is it always like this?” he asked after a while. Damon cuddled against him, putting his head on Ric`s chest. “No, not really. When you just feed because you`re hungry it`s… less fun.” he explained slowly. “But you proved that you can control it. That you can enjoy it. That`s the whole secret.” Ric glanced down on him. „The whole secret?“ he repeated questioningly. „Why I can drink my fill and leave someone breathing and not rip their head off like my brother. It's because I can revel in it. I can make it fun. I`ve accepted what I am. And so have you.“  
   
Ric thought about it for a moment. Yes, he had accepted what he was, he supposed. Or at least he was starting to accept it. “So that means when I`ve been able to control myself last night, high on blood, it`s unlikely that I`ll kill someone next time, when I just feed because I`m hungry?” he wanted to know. “Exactly. And you`ve got to admit. It was fun.“ Damon smirked. „Alright, it was fun. Even if I`m a little worried about how much fun it was. I would`ve never thought it would be so easy to get lost in all this.” the younger vampire admitted quietly. “You won`t start having too much fun, don`t worry. You`ve got too much of a conscience for that.“ the older one shrugged it off, making Ric laugh.  
   
And yes he had to admit, it had been fun. And he still felt damn good.  Casting a glance at his watch he decided that it was still too early to get up. Damon agreed, so they spend the next hour by completely destroying the already ruined bed, before heading to the bathroom to shower together. Afterwards they ordered room service and tried to sort the papers from Shane`s office.  
   
“He`s totally obsessed with this Silas-guy.” Damon mumbled around a mouthful of bagel. Indeed the name Silas was found in most of Shane`s documents, mostly in connection with different legends. “Listen to that: When Silas rises again he will bring on hell on earth. The dead will return to take revenge.” Alaric read. Damon frowned. „That guy´s a freak.“  
   
After finishing their breakfast they packed up, without having learned much. On first sight it was just a bunch of legends and horror stories. But Alaric had a feeling that this impression would prove wrong. They would have to take their time and go through the papers one by one. Something Damon wasn`t looking forward to at all. He had always found research incredibly boring. It was hard for him to concentrate on something that didn`t really hold an interest.  
   
Unfortunately Ric was extremely good at this stuff. He could sit pouring over papers for hours on end, forgetting everything around him in the process. And when he was interrupted he got bitchy. Which meant that Damon would be having a problem, if he dared to distract his boyfriend. He remembered all too well the times when Ric had insisted on writing his lesson plans, instead of going to the Grill with him. Usually it had ended with a fight. Something he really wanted to avoid today. Hopefully it would be easier to distract Ric with sex than with the promise of Bourbon.  
   
A little reluctantly they finally left the hotel and drove back to Mystic Falls. Entering the Gilbert home they were met by the sight of Elena, Caroline, Bonnie and a dark-haired girl, who were discussing dresses, as far as Ric could tell. The girls fell silent, as soon as the two vampires entered the living room. Caroline greeted them with a smile, while Bonnie gave them a dark look that sent chills down Alaric`s spine. He remembered Professor Shane`s words and wondered, what the guy had planned. It couldn`t be good, that much was for sure. But he was certain that the young witch wouldn`t believe them, so he kept quiet.  
   
Elena introduced the dark-haired girl as April Young, the Pastor`s daughter and explained that they were just making plans for the Miss Mystic Falls competition in two days. The girls had obviously persuaded April to compete for the title and were now helping her. She didn`t look all that happy about it, but she listened intently to Caroline and Elena`s suggestions.  
   
Bonnie on the other hand was glaring daggers at Damon and Alaric. The teacher was starting to wonder if she was trying to give them aneurysms. “Maybe we should head over to your place and leave the girls to their planning.” he suggested. Damon readily agreed and they headed out. The dark-haired vampire seemed just as glad as Alaric to escape Bonnie`s death-stare and Caroline`s talk about dresses.  
   
Back at the boarding house they met Jeremy and Anna, who were just about to leave. Jeremy wanted to know what exactly they had been doing, since Ric`s message had been rather vague. “We tried to get some more information about that professor.” the teacher explained. “Shane? The one with the weird exhibition?” the teen asked. “Yep, exactly that professor.“ Damon confirmed. “Why?“ Jeremy kept on questioning them. Damon rolled his eyes. “Because we`re looking for a new drinking buddy.“ he replied sarcastically.  
   
“Hey, no need to get bitchy.” Jeremy grumbled. He would never get that damn vampire. Sometimes Damon could be a really decent guy and relatively easy to talk to and other times he reacted bitchy to everything you said. The guy was moody like a cat. He`d never understand what Anna could find cute or charming about him. Judging by her grin she knew exactly what he was thinking.  
   
“Something about Shane just seemed off. And Sheriff Forbes found out that he got regular calls from Pastor Young, right up to the day of the explosion. We just wanted to find out more.” Alaric intervened, giving his boyfriend a pointed look, which Damon chose to ignore. “And what did you find out?” Jeremy asked his guardian. He decided to just ignore Damon. Probably the best thing he could do. “Not much so far. But it looks like Shane set that hunter on us.” Ric growled. “Who`s not dead, by the way. No matter what my brother said. Or maybe he`s a zombie.“ Damon chimed in.  
   
“Did Stefan tell you how the hunter died?“ Ric asked his boyfriend, completely ignoring the zombie-comment. Damon thought back to the talk with his brother. “No, now that I think about it… he didn`t say anything. Just that the hunter is no longer a problem.” Not really much information. But back then Damon hadn`t really cared. He had been completely focused on getting Alaric back. “The guy said he was held captive by Klaus.” the teacher remembered. Damon nodded thoughtfully. “Which means, either Klaus secretly caught him and told Stefan he was dead or… my brother lied to me and allied himself with Klaus.”  
   
“Why should he do that?” Anna wanted to know, speaking up for the first time. Damon shrugged. “How the hell should I know. Maybe Klaus promised him something. Or Stefan was dumb enough to stop taking vervaine and got himself compelled.“ he mused. Which made him remember that he hadn`t been taking vervaine either for a while. He should really change that. But Ric seemed rather prone to biting him in the heat of the moment and he couldn`t deny that he liked that. So maybe not.  
   
“We should talk to Stefan about it. Find out more.” Alaric decided, before asking Jeremy and Anna where he was. The two teens could only tell him that Stefan had left the house about two hours ago, without telling them where he would be going or when he would be back.  
   
“Okay, we`ve got to get going.” Anna stated after checking her watch. Jeremy grimaced, which caused Ric to ask what they had planned. “Shopping. I need a dress.” the female vampire declared. “You were shopping a couple of days ago.” Damon reminded her. “Yeah, normal clothes. I need a ball gown.“ Anna said exasperated. “Anna will be competing for the title of Miss Mystic Falls in two days.“ Jeremy explained. Damon and Alaric looked at the girl in surprise. “I was supposed to enter in 1864. Mama was so excited about it. She talked about little else for days. But then I never got the chance. I want to do this for her.”  
   
“That`s a wonderful idea.” Alaric commented with a smile. “And you`ve chosen little Gilbert as your style-guide? You can say goodbye to the tiara.” Damon joked. The teen protested, but Damon just waved a hand at him and declared: “Come on, look at you. No style whatsoever.” Jeremy gave him a dark look. “Who do you think she should take shopping? You?“ the teen snarked back, once again annoyed at Damon´s arrogance. And that irritating smirk made him want to punch the vampire. “I would be the best choice of course.” came the reply he had been expecting.  
   
Alaric was watching the exchange with a calculating smile. He knew that Damon didn`t want to help him with the documents from Shane`s office. He would most likely keep him from work, instead of helping him. And Jeremy didn`t look happy about the prospect of yet another shopping trip with his girlfriend. So maybe the dark-haired vampire had the right idea here. “Alright… since Damon is offering himself as style-guide, why don`t you help me with the documents, Jeremy, while those two go shopping for a dress?” the teacher offered.  
   
He received three disbelieving stares. “I never offered to …” Damon started, but Ric cut off his protest with a kiss. That was starting to become his favourite method of shutting Damon up. It also had the positive side-effect that it got the two teens to shut up as well. “Come on, Damon. I know you don`t want to go through Shane`s documents with me. By the time you get back, Jeremy and I will be nearly finished and we can find something else to do.” Alaric offered, once their lips had parted. The dark-haired vampire gave him a calculating look. “Okay, fine. But you`ll have to make it up to me when I get back.“ he warned. Ric grinned. He was looking forward to that.  
   
Anna gave in as well. “You didn`t really want to go shopping again, did you?” she asked her boyfriend. Jeremy gave her an apologetic look. “Not really, no.” he admitted. She sighed. „Okay. Then stay here and help Alaric.“ She turned to Damon and warned: “Nothing pink. Or I`m staking you.” The older Salvatore snorted in disgust. “What do you think of me?“ Alaric watched the two vampires disappear through the front door, arguing all the way. “Nothing black. It`s a beauty pageant, not a funeral.” he heard Damon say, before the door closed behind them.  
   
“Do you think that´s a good idea?” Jeremy asked doubtfully. The teacher just shrugged. “I know that you`ll be more of a help to me than Damon would`ve been. And they won`t kill each other.” At least he hoped so.


	8. Chapter 8

The drive to the mall passed mostly in uncomfortable silence. Damon was drumming his fingers onto the steering wheel nervously, wondering why the hell he had agreed to Ric`s stupid idea. He had no idea how to start a conversation with Anna. He barely knew the girl. Back in 1864 he`d never really paid attention to her. She had always been hanging around her mother, but he couldn`t remember even talkling to her back then.  
   
He had really consciously noticed her the first time over 100 years later, when she had tried to trick him into helping her open the tomb. Her fierce determination had been kinda impressive and he had realized that she wasn`t one to be trifled with. But after the tomb was open she had returned to her mother`s shadow and he hadn`t paid her any more attention. Until the night he saw her die, wishing desperately he could have saved her.  
   
“So… Miss Mystic, hu?” he finally spoke up when the silence got too much. Anna gave him a cool look and wondered herself why she was sitting here with him now. They barely knew each other and never really had much dealings in the past. Aside from all the things she had told Jeremy about the human Damon she had always thought of him as a stupid, lovesick fool and kinda pitied him. He wasn`t the first and neither the last idiot that had gotten his heart ripped out by Katherine Pierce. Anna knew all too well how many men had been destroyed by their love for Katherine.  
   
And while she was glad that Damon had managed to recover from Katherine`s betrayal it still didn`t mean they were suddenly friends. He would probably mock her anyways. “You got a problem with that?” she finally asked. “I wouldn`t be taking you shopping if I did.” Damon shot back, steering the Camaro onto the parking lot of the mall.  
   
They got out of the car and he steered her towards a shop for expensive ladies evening wear. “Should I be worried that you know so well where to go?” she joked. “Not at all. I look hot in a dress.” Damon exclaimed with a straight face. Anna gigled against her will. „Oh god, I`ll never get rid of that image.“ she moaned. Damon grinned and started looking through the dresses. “So, how come you know this place?” Anna wanted to know.  
   
„I was sort of dating Caroline Forbes for a while. Long story. She dragged me in here quite a few times.” the dark-haired man explained with a shrug, before reaching for a frilly purple dress and presenting it to her with a perfectly solemn expression. “You`re kidding!” she growled, causing Damon to laugh. “Yeah, but I would`ve loved to see you try it on.” he admitted. Anna took the dress and firmly put it back onto the rack. “Either you start taking this serious or you can wait in the car.” she threatened. She hadn`t taken him with her so he could make fun at her expanse.  
   
For a second he just stared at her and she almost expected him to turn around and walk off. Then he suddenly murmured: “You`re really serious about this.” Anna shrugged and looked away. “Of course I am.” she muttered. Damon didn`t reply, but instead he really walked away. She was just starting to wonder if he would drive back home and leave her stranded here, when he suddenly returned with a beautiful blue satin dress. “Something like that then?”  
   
Surprised she took the dress and looked it over. “Yeah, exactly like that. You even guessed my size.” she noted in wonder. Damon`s eyes swept over her body in a way she`d better not describe to Jeremy later. It looked like he was undressing her with his stare and she felt the sudden urge to cross her arms over her breasts. “Got an eye for it.” he bragged with a wink. Anna raised her eyebrows. “Don`t waste your non-existent charms on me. You were never my type.” she claimed dryly, hoping against hope that he wouldn`t notice that he had affected her. Fucking Salvatore-charms. He just shrugged and turned away. “You`re not my type either.” he let her know, before he started looking through the dresses again.  
   
About 30 minutes later Anna had found the perfect dress and had to admit grudgingly that he did have taste. Everything he had shown her had been really beautiful and fit perfectly. But she could`ve done without his sarcastic comments about some of the dresses she had picked. Stupid idiot. He paid for the dress, giving her a smug grin, before exiting the store.  
   
Hesitating just a little Anna thanked him. He had even paid for the dress after all. “Don´t mention it. You really needed my help after all.” he needled. Anna rolled her eyes and shot back: „You know, I`m really surprised I never noticed you`re gay. It`s so obvious.” Damon stopped abruptly and turned to stare at her. “I`m not gay.” he claimed. “Really? Could`ve fooled me, considering the noises you and Alaric make…“ Damon`s lips curled into a smile almost automatically when she said Ric`s name and she wondered if he realized how utterly besotted he was. “I`m just… flexible.” he explained.  
   
She nodded and couldn`t hold back her grin any longer. “Right, that`s it.” she agreed like he was a child and grinned only harder when he seemed speechless for once. Usually he always had a witty comeback. “I need shoes.” Anna exclaimed, before he could recover and say something evil. The older Salvatore rolled his eyes and handed her a credit card. “I`ll be in the shop over there. Don`t take too long.” he warned, before heading for a men`s store.  
   
When Anna joined him a short while later he was just selecting a tie. “Found what you were looking for?” he asked without looking at her. “Yeah, I did. What about you? Need a tie for the party?“ Damon finally chose a tie and turned to face her. “Nope. This one is for Ric. Goes perfectly with the suit I just found him.“ he sounded like it was perfectly normal for him to buy clothes for his boyfriend.   
   
“Little Gilbert is your escort, right?” he asked suddenly. Anna nodded, wondering what he was getting at now. “Okay, pick a suit for him.” The female vampire gave him a curious look. “I think he has one. He would`ve said something if he needed one.” she reasoned, but Damon just snorted. “We didn`t get you the perfect dress to have little Gilbert looking like a scarecrow next to you and ruining your chances.”  
   
“Jeremy would never…” she started protesting, but Damon just left her standing and ventured over to one of the racks containing suits. “Which size?” Anna crossed her arms and scowled at him. “I thought you had an eye for it?” she mocked. “I do. But little Gilbert isn`t really worth looking at in my opinion.” he shot back. Anna just shook her head with a sigh and told him Jeremy`s size, reasoning that a discussion would lead her nowhere.  
   
After about two hours they headed back to the parking lot. “What is Alaric going to say about you buying him a suit?” Anna asked once they were back in the car. “I guess he`s going to bitch at me, maybe throw a tantrum. He doesn`t like to be reminded about his lacking sense of style.” the other vampire mused with a shrug. “You like pissing him off, don´t you?” Anna suspected. Damon looked at her out oft he corner of his eye and she could see his smirk. “One word honey: Make-up-sex.” he whispered conspiratorially and she had to smile despite herself.  
   
“You`re mental, you know that?” she told him. “Like you can talk. If I remember correctly you were stalking little Gilbert.” the older Salvatore shot back and she felt her face heat. “That… was a long time ago.” she muttered. “No need to be ashamed. We`re predators. And while I can`t really understand your choice…“ He sounded completely honest, but she could see that he was stifling a grin. She hit him on the arm and muttered: “Idiot.”, but she couldn`t contain a smile herself. Maybe Damon wasn`t all that bad…  
   
###  
   
While Damon and Anna were shopping, Ric and Jeremy worked their way through Shane`s documents. Jeremy really was rather helpful and Ric had to congratulate himself on his idea, while they worked. There were mostly different legends about Silas. All of them agreed that he was an immortal, who had been buried alive by a vengeful witch, because he had betrayed her. Afterwards the legends differed. One stated that he would rise again, to bring on hell on earth and reawaken the dead. The next one said something about a well of immortality, while another one said something about a weapon.

   
The research about the five hunters was better. The hunters had been “created” by a witch, who had given them superhuman strength and speed. Their whole purpose was killing vampires. Once a hunter had been awakened he could think of little else. It sounded like they were possessed or something. The notes also said that every hunter had a tattoo, a so-called hunters mark, which got bigger with every vampire he killed. Only hunters or potential hunters could see the mark. When a hunter died a new one would eventually take his place.  
   
The paragraph about the hunters curse had Alaric a little worried. It said that whoever killed a hunter would be haunted by his ghost until he either killed himself or a new hunter was awakened. The legend hinted that only vampires were hit by the curse, but Ric thought it would be better not to risk it either way. Although Jeremy seemed more than willing to kill the hunter himself to protect Anna and his sister.  
   
The teacher was almost glad when they were interrupted by the arrival of Stefan. There were still a few documents lying on the floor in front of him that he hadn`t looked through yet, but for the moment he had read more than enough. Still, nothing explained what the hell Shane actually planned or why he needed Bonnie.  
   
“Where have you been?” Ric asked the younger Salvatore. Stefan put the cool bag down and took a seat on the couch. “I was at a slaughterhouse a good few miles away. Elena still has problems hunting, so I… got some animal blood for her.” he explained quietly. Alaric eyed the cool box sceptically. Stefan obviously misunderstood, because he offered him some of the blood. “No thanks. I… Damon and I agreed on human blood.” he explained almost apologetically.  
   
Stefan looked worried and seemed about to say something, but then thought better of it and asked where Damon was. “He`s shopping with Anna.” Ric explained and had to laugh at Stefan`s dumbfounded expression. “You`re kidding me.” Still laughing Ric shook his head. „No, it`s the truth.“ he assured and Jeremy nodded. “Why the hell does my brother…?” the younger Salvatore started, but didn`t get to finish the sentence, because suddenly the front door opened. Damon and Anna strolled in, both loaded with shopping bags and grinning like Cheshire cats. It looked like they`d actually had fun, which surprised Ric a little.  
   
“I got you a present.” Damon sing-songed, walking towards his boyfriend. He greeted him with a quick kiss, before pressing a shopping bag into his hands. The teacher looked inside and then looked up at Damon in surprise. “You bought me a suit?” Damon grinned. “Of course I did. I want to show off my hot boyfriend at the pageant. After all, it is the most important social event this week.” Ric shook his head with a fond smile. “You`re nuts.” he murmured, looking at the suit again. It was charcoal-grey and looked rather expensive.  
   
Meanwhile Anna had joined her boyfriend and told him that she had found the perfect dress. “And we bought a suit for you as well. I wasn`t sure if you had one and Damon insisted.” Jeremy wasn`t sure what to think about that. Damon had already made it pretty clear that he thought Jeremy had no style. But Anna was beaming and she looked so happy that he couldn`t be mad either. “Come on, I`ll show you my dress.” she enthused and dragged him upstairs.  
   
Stefan looked at his brother in shock. “You were really shopping? With Anna?” Damon flopped down on the couch and pretended to pout. “Ric forced me to do it.” he claimed. “Come on, it was practically your idea. And it looked like you had fun.” the teacher pointed out, taking a seat next to him. Damon shrugged. “Well… it was okay, I guess. She´s not as annoying as I thought. And she really needed my help. You should`ve seen the dress she would have chosen. Thanks to me she actually has a chance of winning this thing.”   
   
“Winning what?” Stefan wanted to know. “She`s competing for Miss Mystic Falls.“ Damon let him know, frowning at the cool box, his brother had just picked up again. “Stefan went to a slaughterhouse and got some animal blood for Elena.” Ric explained. Damon made a disgusted face. „Now you`re forcing bottled stuff onto her? Like fresh isn`t bad enough already.”  
   
“Shut up. I already told you once: I will do anything in my might to prevent Elena from having to go through what I did. If she only drinks animal blood right from the beginning she´ll get used to it much more easily.” Stefan insisted. Damon snorted. “You`re kidding yourself. This is never going to work. If you keep going like this she`ll end up just like you. And deep down you know that.” he shot back. Which only served to heaten Stefan`s anger. “Shut up! You think you know everything, but you have no idea what Elena is going through at the moment. So stay away from her. It`s bad enough you`re forcing Alaric to drink human blood.”  
   
Ric could feel Damon tense beside him. He seemed seconds away from attacking his brother. The teacher quickly grabbed his hand and gave it a quick squeeze, before turning to the younger Salvatore. “Damon isn`t forcing me to do anything. We talked about it and I decided for myself that human blood is the better option. It was my decision.” he stated calmly. “If he wanted to drink animal blood I would let him.” Damon grumbled.  
   
Stefan`s eyes darted from Damon to Ric in surprise. He seemed at a loss for words. “Okay. I should put that in the freezer.” he mumbled finally. “Yeah, do that. But we need to discuss something with you. About that hunter.” Damon remembered. His brother looked at him quizzically, but promised to come back straight away.  
   
As soon as he had left the room, Alaric scooted closer to Damon and kissed him softly. “What was that for? I didn`t say anything, so there was no need to shut me up.” the dark-haired commented. “Just a thank you. For leaving the decision to me. And for your patience.“ Ric explained. The older vampire smiled a little sheepishly. Searching for a snarky reply and finding none, he decided to kiss his boyfriend again.  
   
They broke apart when Stefan cleared his throat to indicate that he was back. The younger Salvatore looked uncomfortable, his eyes darting around the room nervously. Damon ordered him to sit down and asked: “Okay… how exactly did you kill that hunter?” The younger one looked at him in surprise.  
   
“Well, actually… I didn`t kill him. Klaus did. He had offered his help, like I told you. I was a little suspicious, but I thought he wanted to protect his remaining hybrids. Or Caroline. And I could use some help, so… He said we should split up. So I drove to the Lockwood’s in case the hunter should show up there again. But then Klaus called and told me that he had already taken care of the hunter and I shouldn`t worry.”  
   
Damon and Alaric shared a quick look and Stefan wanted to know what that was all about. “Well, it looks like Klaus lied to you. He didn`t kill the guy, he held him captive. The hunter is still very much alive. And to make matters worse, he escaped.” the older Salvatore explained. “What? But why should Klaus…? And how do you even know that?“ Stefan wanted to know, now completely puzzled. “We saw the hunter. At Whitmore College.” Ric explained and Damon added: „And we heard him talking to Professor Shane on the phone. The professor sent him here.”  
   
“Professor Shane? The guy who´s helping Bonnie?” the younger Salvatore asked. Alaric nodded. “He plans something. It`s no coincidence that he`s here and that he`s helping Bonnie. He needs her for something.” he told Stefan. “So that´s what you were doing yesterday? Stalking Shane.” Stefan murmured almost to himself. “He told Bonnie you had threatened him. She´s pretty angry at you.” Okay that explained the dark looks she had given them earlier. The professor was trying to rile her up. And it seemed to be working.  
   
“We didn´t threaten him. We only asked him a few questions.” Damon clarified. Ric  chose not to remind him, that he had also accused Shane of mass murder. “And what did you find out?” Stefan wanted to know. „Not much, except that the guy is a total psycho who set a killer on us.“ Damon grumbled. “We made copies of some documents from his office. Jeremy and I started looking through them earlier. It looks like Shane is totally obsessed with some legend about a guy named Silas. I can`t say what he wants, yet. But I found out some interesting stuff about the hunter.” Ric spoke up again.  
   
Damon urged him to go on, so he told the Salvatores what he had read about the five hunters. “Wait a second, that means we can`t even kill him?” the older Salvatore asked. “That´s exactly what it means.” Ric confirmed. „Klaus must`ve known. Why else should he keep the guy alive and lie to me about it?“ Stefan mused. “Klaus is ancient. He knows lots of stuff. And it´s typical of him to keep his knowledge to himself.“ Damon agreed.  
   
“Okay, so what do we do now?” the younger Salvatore asked the most obvious question. “We have to tell the others that the hunter is still alive and that they can`t kill him. I`m afraid he might be on his way here. Maybe he`s already here again.” Alaric murmured. Stefan nodded and promised to inform the others. „But be careful how much you tell Bonnie. She seems to trust Shane and I`m not sure she`d believe us.” the teacher warned. The younger Salvatore wasn`t happy about this, but after a few more discussions he agreed to keep the witch mostly in the dark for now.  
   
Since it had gotten pretty late Alaric packed up the documents and went to the Grill with Damon. Obviously their kiss was still the town gossip, because there were whispers all around and Ric could practically feel most of the other patrons staring at them. Matt was watching them, too and it was really starting to grate on the teacher`s nerves.  
   
Damon however enjoyed the attention and fuelled the speculations by leaning close to Ric to whisper in his ear or touching him all the time. But when Ric said that he wanted to leave he relented. They drove to the Gilbert home, where they discussed their plans for the next day, before going to bed early.


	9. Chapter 9

The next morning Damon woke up alone in bed. Frowning he got up and went down to the kitchen, where Alaric was just making coffee, or rather wrestling with the machine. With a fond smile Damon pushed him to the side and got the coffee started. “The kids all spent the night at the boarding house.” Ric let him know. “And they couldn`t tell us? We wouldn`t have had to be quiet.“ the dark-haired vampire grumbled. “You can`t be quiet.” Ric pointed out with a grin, dropping a quick kiss on his boyfriend`s lips. “Like you can talk.” Damon shot back.  
   
Ric smacked him on the ass and told him to sit down, while he poured two cups of coffee. He wondered a little at how normal this felt. Like they had been a couple for years already. Maybe it was because they knew each other that well. They had been friends for some time and they had experienced quite a lot together. Or maybe they had just been waiting so long for something like this. They´d had to lose each other to finally get to this point. Maybe they could enjoy it even more now, because of everything that had led them here.  
   
Before he could follow that train of thought any further the beeping of Damon`s cell phone cut through his musings. “A text from Liz. She wants us to come to the Lockwood mansion in two hours. Council meeting.” the dark-haired vampire read. “Council meeting? But most of the council was… blown up.“ Ric wondered, taking a seat next to his boyfriend. “Well, I guess the council now means us, Liz and Carol. Which could prove really useful for us.” Damon mused. “You mean a pro-vampire council?”  
   
“Exactly. That´s good. This explosion was the best thing that could`ve happened.” Ric wanted to protest that the death of 12 people was never a good thing. After all he had known all of them and liked at least a few of them. But he had to admit that it had solved a lot of problems for them. “I wouldn`t put it like that, but… you may have a point there.” he mumbled. “I knew you`d agree with me.” the older vampire said with a grin.  
   
After finishing their coffee they showered together and got dressed. Ric had discovered that Damon had secretly cleared one of his drawers, so he could store some clothes at the teacher`s bedroom. He hadn`t mentioned it and instead retaliated by clearing one of the drawers in Damon´s bedroom and storing some of his own clothes there. He wasn`t sure if Damon had noticed yet. Once they were dressed they made their way to the Lockwood estate.  
   
Carol Lockwood opened the door, greeted them with a nod and disappeared down the hallway again. She seemed a little stressed. Shrugging it off the two vampires wanted to follow her, but when Ric tried to step over the threshold he stumbled back like he had walked into an invisible wall. “Oh fuck.” he muttered. He hadn`t thought of that. And Damon obviously hadn`t either. “Uhmm Carol?” She turned around, surprised that the men hadn`t followed her and were still standing in front of the door. “You need to invite me in.” Alaric said sheepishly.  
   
Mrs. Lockwood looked like she didn`t know what he was talking about. But then she obviously got it, because she gasped in shock. “Does that mean you…? Oh my god.” Ric had trouble meeting her horrified stare. They should`ve told her and Liz on his first day back that he was now a vampire. But this fact hadn`t fit in with any of Damon´s weird stories to explain his resurrection. The teacher cast a nervous glance at his boyfriend, silently pleading for help.  
   
Damon cursed inwardly for not having thought of this earlier. So it was time for another one of his famous spontaneous ideas. “It´s not his fault, Carol. He didn`t chose this. It was forced onto him.“ he just started talking. „See… the guy who held him captive obviously thought it would be hilarious to turn a vampire hunter into a vampire. I think he was some sort of mad scientist.” Out of the corner of his eyes he could see Ric nodding and he thanked his lucky stars that the teacher had become a rather decent liar.  
   
“That`s horrible.” Carol exclaimed sympathetically. “Please, come in Alaric.” Ric gave her a grateful smile and stepped over the threshold. “Why didn`t you tell us straight away?” the Mayor wanted to know, while she led the two vampires to her office, where the meeting would be held. “I guess I just didn`t know how to tell you.” And that wasn`t even a lie.  
   
“They kept something more from us, Liz.” Carol stated accusingly when they entered her office. “Alaric is a vampire. That lunatic, who held him captive turned him against his will.” she repeated Damon´s story. Sheriff Forbes looked just as shocked as she had and Ric had a hard time trying not to squirm under her intense gaze. “I know I should have told you straight away. But you don`t need to worry. Damon is helping me cope.” the teacher assured. “Ric´s got it under control. He won´t hurt anyone.” the dark-haired vampire agreed.  
   
Liz didn`t look convinced, but she nodded. “Alright. But I`ll keep an eye on you.” she warned. Alaric breathed a sigh of relief. He could live with that. But Mrs. Lockwood already posed the next question: “Why didn`t you tell us about your relationship? The whole town is talking about you. And how long has that been going on? We were already wondering how we could`ve overlooked it all this time.” she muttered. “We really just got together after Ric´s return. And we weren`t planning on outing us so soon. It was spontaneous.” Damon explained with a smirk.  
   
Ric wanted to add something, but the words died on his tongue when he suddenly noticed the third woman in the room. “Meredith.” he choked. Dr. Meredith Fell gave him a sad smile. “Alaric. It`s good to see you.“ He had no idea what to say. He hadn`t expected to see his ex-girlfriend here and he felt a little guilty when he realized that he had wasted no thought on her since his return.  
   
“What are you doing here?” Damon asked and Ric thought he could hear a trace of jealousy in his voice. “Since we`re a little low on members thanks to the recent tragedy, we decided to take on Dr. Fell as a new council member. She seemed a good choice, since she already knows the secrets of this town and she´s also a member of a founding family.” Carol Lockwood explained and Damon had to bite his tongue to refrain from commenting on that. He wasn`t pleased about the fact that Ric`s ex would now be sitting in every council meeting, eyeing his boyfriend.  
   
“Interesting. You got some more surprises for us?” he asked sarcastically. Liz gave him a look that clearly told him she wasn`t too fond of his surprises either. “There is one more new member, if that`s what you`re asking.” Great. “Who is it?” the older vampire wanted to know. “Rudy Hopkins. Bonnie Bennett´s father.” Damon and Ric shared a quick look. Neither had had much dealings with Bonnie´s father yet. Ric only knew him from a few parent-teacher-conferences. “How much does he know?”  
   
“He knows nothing about you, Damon. And I think we should keep it that way.” Liz warned. “A vampire-hater then.” the dark-haired vampire guessed. No-one commented on that. This was just getting better. “Does he know that his daughter is a witch?” Alaric spoke up again. “I don´t think so. But I`m not sure. You should ask Bonnie. And chose your words carefully in front of Mr. Hopkins.” Carol warned. Well, that at least was nothing new. Damon and Ric had always had to choose their words carefully around other council members.  
   
Shortly after the discussion was interrupted by the arrival of Mr. Hopkins. Damon decided instantly that he didn`t like the guy. And he liked him even less when Hopkins suggested putting vervaine into the water supply, to out hidden vampires. Luckily Carol was able to talk him out of it. Aside from that it was a typical boring council meeting. Everyone agreed that there were no vampires in Mystic Falls at the moment. The only difference to other meetings was the fact that they were now only lying to one member, instead of a whole dozen.  
   
Once the meeting was over, Carol Lockwood offered everyone a drink. Damon was glad when Bonnie`s father declined and went back to work. After he had left the sheriff turned towards the two vampires. “Okay, how´s it really going? As far as I can tell Klaus is keeping a low profile at the moment. The other originals seem to have left town or at least are in hiding. What do you think?” Damon and Ric agreed with her as far as the originals were concerned. They told her what they had found out about Shane and the hunter. “You need to warn Bonnie.” Liz adviced.  
   
“I don`t think she`d believe us. And we don`t know how much influence Shane already has on her. We could make it worse.” Alaric pointed out. “What does that guy want?“ Carol asked. “We don`t know yet. But we`re working on it.“ the teacher assured. “Okay. I`ll set my deputies on the hunter. I`m going to tell them that he`s armed and highly dangerous. And crazy. Maybe we can get him, before he gets the chance to do more damage.” Sheriff Forbes decided. “And then what? You`ll lock him up? Because that worked so well for Klaus.“ Damon reminded her.  
   
“We need to do something. And maybe my deputies have a little more experience with prisoners than Klaus’ men.” Ric had to admit that she was right. Even Damon had to agree. Since they couldn`t simply kill the hunter they didn`t have much of an alternative. Carol admitted that she had enlisted Shane`s help for the Miss Mystic Falls pageant. He would be awarding a scholarship. But no-one seemed too worried about that. He could hardly cause much trouble there.   
   
Ric and Damon left shortly after, but Meredith caught up to them, just as they reached the driveway. She wanted to talk to Alaric in private. Ric knew that Damon wasn`t happy about it. But he felt that he owed her at least an explanation, so he followed her to her car, making sure that they stayed within hearing distance of his boyfriend. He didn`t want to give Damon reason to get jealous.  
   
“Mrs. Lockwood told me the story of your doppelgänger. Very creative, I`ve got to admit. But I don`t believe it for a second.” Meredith said. Of course she wouldn`t believe it. She knew too much. His evil alter ego had tried to kill her, after all. And still she had tried to help him. If someone deserved the truth it was her. “When a vampire… dies he is send to some sort of… otherworld. There`s a veil separating that world from ours and… Damon found a witch who brought me back.” he tried to explain.  
   
“So you really died.” It wasn`t actually a question, but he nodded anyway. He had actually died quite a few times, but she didn`t need to know that. “I`m a vampire so… I guess technically I am dead. Well, undead.” he shrugged. Meredith nodded thoughtfully. “I won`t tell anyone. Don´t worry.“ she promised. “I know.” And he did know it. He could trust her.  
   
Meeting her eyes he searched for words, trying to explain his relationship with Damon, without sounding like he was apologizing for loving the dark-haired vampire. He had no idea where to start. But it turned out that he didn`t have to say anything. “I guess I always knew that your heart belonged to someone else.” Meredith admitted. “And since that night in the crypt, when you… died or turned or whatever… I also knew who it belonged to.” Ric felt at a loss for words. “I`m not mad at you Alaric. You deserve to be happy. And if he makes you happy…“.   
   
“He does.“ Alaric assured her. “Then I wish you all the best.” She smiled and kissed his cheek. “Thank you Meredith.” Ric watched while she got into her car. He was glad they parted on good terms. She was a great woman and an important ally and he hoped they could at least stay friends.  
   
Damon had his back turned to him and didn`t say a word when Ric re-joined him. The teacher wrapped his arms around the dark-haired vampire from behind and gently kissed his neck. “Since things are cleared up with my ex now… why don´t we go home?” Damon leaned back against him and nodded. “Your place or mine?” he joked. “Whatever you want.” Alaric shot back. Damon chuckled and chose the boarding house.

###  
   
The rest of the day went by in a blur. Alaric had thought about going through the rest of Shane`s stuff, but Damon kept him from doing that. Reasoning that he only had about 10 pages or so to go anyway, Ric decided to postpone it and instead focused on his boyfriend. When it started to get dark Stefan, Anna and Jeremy showed up, having fled from the Gilbert home, where Elena was hosting a spontaneous pyjama-party.  
   
Anna and Jeremy used the chance to practice the dance for the pageant some more. Stefan helped them, while Damon and Ric watched from their place on the couch. Of course Damon couldn`t keep his mouth shut for long and had to make snide remarks. Jeremy tried to ignore him and concentrate on Anna, but the damn vampire knew how to push his buttons.  
   
“Why don`t you just shut up?” Jeremy growled after Damon had interrupted Stefan`s instructions for the third time in a row. “Okay, if you want to make a fool of yourself in front of everyone tomorrow…” the dark-haired vampire muttered. Jeremy saw Alaric whisper something to him, but he doubted his guardian could keep him in line. Damon was just an ass sometimes and there was no reasoning with him.  
   
Stefan seemed to know this, too, because he heaved a resigned sigh and flopped down into an armchair. “Fine, Damon. If you`re so much better, then why don`t you help them?” he suggested. Jeremy glared at him. That was really the last thing he needed right now. Again Ric was whispering something in Damon´s ear and the older vampire nodded, before getting up and taking Stefan`s place.  
   
“Alright, get in position.” he ordered. Jeremy obeyed reluctantly, reminding himself silently that he was doing all this for Anna. “Not like that. Your palms don`t touch. There hast o be a small space between them.“ the dark-haired vampire scoffed imediately. “But that doesn`t make sense.” the young Gilbert complained. Seriously, who had invented the stupid dance? And why did they have to do it? Couldn`t they just do a waltz or something?  
   
“Of course it makes sense. This dance was invented in a time where touching in public was a big thing. You can`t imagine that now, but back then kissing a girl in public could get you in serious trouble. People back then were fucking prudes. Even holding hands was frowned upon.” the older Salvatore explained. Jeremy looked over at Anna who nodded. “Okay, so space between the palms. Like this?” the teen asked. “Exactly. And now you move around each other, while your hands remain in positon.“ Damon instructed.  
   
Jeremy and Anna did as told, switching hands for the next part of the dance. The Gilbert-boy had to admit – albeit grudgingly – that they did a lot better this time. “Okay, better.” Damon agreed with him. „But don`t stare off into space. Look at her. Look into her eyes. The intimacy oft he dance is all in the way you look at each other.“ Jeremy bit back a comment and looked at Anna, noting her soft smile and answering it with a smile of his own. Only now he realized what this dance reminded him of.  
   
When Anna had been a ghost they had done this. Put their palms almost against each other, pretending they could feel each other. Suddenly the whole thing took on a wholly different meaning. From far away he heard Damon´s voice: “Dancing is like sex. Foreplay, anticipation of what is to come, almost-touches, making the air around you vibrate with tension, while your eyes do all the talking…”  
   
Anna noticed the change in Jeremy`s breathing and heartbeat and knew that he was thinking the same thing as her. All of a sudden this wasn`t just some stupid dance. It was their story. Kept apart by a veil they couldn`t see, unable to feel each other. Forced to rely on looks and not touches. She remembered the happiness of having Jeremy back in her life. How hard it was not being able to touch him. Until he managed the impossible and pulled her back into the world of the living. When Jeremy finally took her hand and placed his other hand on her hip she remembered their first embrace after being back. She felt the same rush of excitement.  
   
“That`s more like it.” Damon`s voice cut through her reverie, starlting her and she noticed that the dance and the music had ended. Jeremy looked at Damon and rolled his eyes when he noticed the Salvatore`s smug expression. Great, Damon would never let him live this down. But the teen also noticed that he wasn`t the only one watching Damon. Stefan was staring at his brother like he had never seen him before and Ric was watching him with an almost proud grin.  
   
“Well, I think that`s enough for now. It`s late. I should really go to bed.” Anna decided, drawing Jeremy`s attention back to her. He could see the look in her eyes which told him she wasn`t thinking about sleep and he readily agreed. “You`re right. We should get some sleep. Big day tomorrow. So good night everyone.“  
   
Alaric had to stifle a grin while he watched the two oft hem disappear upstairs. Seconds later he heard the tell-tale sound of a body hitting the closed door. Obviously they had taken Damon` s words about dancing and foreplay to heart. But Ric couldn`t deny that he felt a little overheated as well. “We should go to bed as well, don`t you think?” he asked, looking at his boyfriend. Damon fixed him with an almost predatory grin and was dragging him towards the stairs, before he had time to protest. Not that he wanted to protest.  
   
Both called a quick good night in Stefan`s direction, before heading upstairs, never noticing how the younger Salvatore`s eyes followed them. Ric could hear moans coming from the direction of Anna`s room, but he ignored them and concentrated only on Damon.


	10. Chapter 10

The next morning Alaric was the one who woke up alone in bed. Downstairs in the kitchen Damon was already making breakfast. Jeremy and Stefan were seated at the table, talking quietly. The teacher greeted them with a smile, kissed his boyfriend and took a seat. Jeremy pretended he hadn`t seen the kiss, but Stefan was watching his brother and Ric thoughtfully.  
   
“Anna has been in the bathroom for over an hour, despite the fact that I told her three times she has enough time to get ready at the Lockwood’s.” the teen grumbled. Ric remembered the last Miss Mystic Falls pageant. He had been dating Jenna back then and had played chauffeur for her and Elena. It seemed like a lifetime ago. So much had happened since then. His life had changed so much. He noticed that Stefan was strangely silent and wondered if the younger Salvatore was remembering the last pageant as well. He had snapped and almost killed a girl, so today surely brought no happy memories for him.  
   
Damon piled their plates high with pancakes, before marching towards the stairs and hollering: “Anna! If you want breakfast you`ve got five minutes tops to get your ass down here!” Then he returned to the kitchen like nothing had happened. “Maybe you should adopt her. Looks like you`re getting used to the job of being her guardian.” Ric commented with a grin. Damon sat down next to him and punched his shoulder none too gently. “Oh shut up. Better take care of your own protégé here.” The teacher winked at Jeremy, who grinned back at him.  
   
About three minutes later Anna finally made it to the table as well. Ric couldn`t see much difference to how she usually looked, but decided to keep that thought to himself. “I have no idea why I`m so nervous. It`s no big deal.” the girl muttered. “Elena was nervous as well, when she competed the last time.“ Jeremy tried to comfort his girlfriend, with little success.  
   
“Have you drunk enough blood? We wouldn`t want you to eat the other girls.” Damon warned when Anna was about to head out. She gave him a dark look and told him to stop treating her like a child, since she was in fact older than he was. “If necessary she can drink from me.” Jeremy chimed in. Alaric thought that he should probably object to that. He was the kid´s guardian after all and should be concerned about his well-being. On the other hand it was really none of his business what happened between the kid and his girlfriend. So he kept his mouth shut. After about 15 minutes of running up and down the stairs Anna was sure she had everything she needed and left with her boyfriend in tow.  
   
Stefan left as well, after fetching a bottle of animal blood for Elena. Damon and Alaric spent a few quiet hours lounging around the boarding house, before getting dressed for the party. The teacher had to admit that his boyfriend had chosen a beautiful suit for him. The dark fabric felt soft and cool against his skin and fit him perfectly. The white shirt and light-blue tie proved a nice contrast to the dark grey of his suit.  
   
He cast a quick look into the mirror and then turned to Damon, who couldn`t take his eyes off the teacher. “Like what you see?” Alaric teased. The older vampire smirked. “Hmm, a lot. I should buy you clothes more often.“ Ric only laughed at that and pulled Damon closer. The dark-haired vampire looked gorgeous in his dark suit. Their lips met and suddenly Ric found himself pressed against the closed door. His hands skimmed under Damon`s jacket, gently stroking his back. 

“If we keep going like this we`ll never make it to the pageant.” he warned, once their lips had parted. “We still have time. And even if we`re late… who cares?” Damon shrugged it off and pushed the jacket off Ric`s shoulders. The teacher really intended to argue his point, but Damon`s lips started ghosting over his throat and the protest died on his lips.  
   
***  
   
Meanwhile Anna was sitting in front of a mirror at the Lockwood mansion, wrestling with her hair. She still felt nervous and jittery and started wondering if it had been such a good idea to enter in the competition. What the hell had she been thinking? The other girls were talking behind her back and giving her weird looks. Thanks to her enhanced hearing Anna knew that they were mostly bitching about the fact that she wasn`t from a founding family.  
   
“Oh god, I feel like I`m about to puke.” the dark-haired girl next to her muttered. “Yeah, me too.” the vampire admitted, looking over at her. The brunette gave her a slight smile. “Well, that`s good to hear. At least I`m not the only one.” she joked, before introducing herself as April. “I`m Anna.” the vampire muttered, turning away from the mirror and facing April completely. The other girls were gossiping about her as well. She was the daughter of Pastor Young, who had blown himself up.  
   
“I`m sorry about your father.” Anna murmured a little awkwardly. “Thanks.” was the automatic reply and she wondered how often April had heard these words in the last couple of days. She felt bad for the girl. After all, she could relate. “My mom died not long ago.” April gave her a surprised look. “Oh, that`s … I`m sorry.” she stammered.  
   
For a moment there was an awkward silence, only broken by the chatter of the other girls. “How do you handle it?” April wanted to know after a while. Anna shrugged. “I don`t know. Sometimes it feels unreal, you know? Like she`s just out of town or something. Until I remember that she`ll never come back.” She had spent almost 150 years without her mother and could look after herself. But back then Pearl had been locked away in the tomb and Anna had always known that they would see each other again. Now her mother was gone for good.  
   
“I know what you mean. I`ve barely seen my dad over the last few years. I was at boarding school. We only spent the holidays together.” April told her. “But it`s different, knowing he`ll never come back.” Anna muttered. The other girl nodded. “It is. And it`s strange to be back here. I was only here for Christmas in the last few years. I don`t really know anyone. I live with my uncle now, but I can`t shake the feeling that he`s not happy about me being here.” April sounded desolate.  
   
“I live with friends of my mom. The Salvatores. They`re okay, but it`s still weird. I spent a few month here with my mom, but aside from my boyfriend Jeremy I don`t know anyone either.” At least that was the official story they had come up with. “Jeremy Gilbert, right? His sister used to be my babysitter.” April let her know. Anna nodded. “Yeah, he`s my escort today. I don`t know what I`d do without him.” Just thinking about Jeremy made her smile. “And who´s escorting you?”  
   
“Matt Donovan. You may know him. He works at the Grill with Jeremy.” April explained. “Yes, I`ve met him. He seems nice.” She hadn`t had much dealings with Matt so far, but he seemed like a good guy. “He`s really nice. He offered to be my escort. I`ve known him since I was a kid. Back when he was still dating Elena I had a little crush on him.” April admitted and blushed. Anna grinned. “He`s kinda cute.” she mused.  
   
“Yeah, he is, isn`t he? But Jeremy`s cute, too.” April murmured. “I meant… I don`t want to steal him away from you or anything. Just saying.” she hastenend to add, blushing even harder. Strangely enough Anna didn`t feel jealous at all. Jeremy loved her more than anything. She knew that. “It`s okay, I didn`t think that. There must be a lot of girls who think he`s cute. I mean, he`s totally cute, so…” she shrugged and was almost glad when the arrival of Caroline and Elena interrupted their talk.  
   
The two girls came to check on April. “Do you need help with your hair or make-up?” Elena asked kindly. April nodded, seemingly glad for the help. Anna turned back to the mirror, not wanting to intrude. Maybe she should just give up on her hair. “Are you wearing your hair like that?” The dark-haired vampire noticed with surprise that Caroline was standing behind her, giving her a critical once-over.  
   
“I was thinking about doing it up…” Anna murmured hesitantly. She wasn`t used to people paying attention to her. And she didn`t even know the blonde. Therefore Caroline`s next words took her completely by surprise: “Need some help?” Hesitating only a little, Anna nodded. It couldn`t hurt, she reasoned. Caroline was like a living Barbie doll, so she most likely knew what she was doing. And really, after only about 10 minutes Anna`s hair was done up beautifully. “Wow, thanks.” she whispered. Caroline grinned at her, before taking her leave.  
   
Elena was still busy doing April`s make-up, so Anna got up and quietly left the room. She found Jeremy out in the hallway. “Wow, you look amazing.” he whispered and she felt herself blushing. “Thanks.” she muttered a little self-consciously. “You were talking to April?” Jeremy changed the subject, obviously noticing her discomfort. “Yeah, she`s nice.” Anna was surprised how easy it had been to talk to the brunette. She had always been a loner. Had always kept her distance and been shunned by others.  
   
It had never bothered her before. She had always taken comfort in the thought that she would get her mother back one day and then she`d never have to be alone again. Until then there had been aquaintances and fools she had compelled to do her bidding. But now her mother was gone for good. She had Jeremy, but she couldn`t cling to him 24/7. It would be nice to have a friend.  
   
“I`ll be waiting at the bottom of the stairs. Good luck.” Jeremy`s voice cut through her musings. Anna smiled at him and watched him walk back downstairs with his sister in tow. She took a deep breath and then returned to the other contestants. Maybe she could talk to April again, before the pageant started.  
 


	11. Chapter 11

In the meantime Damon and Alaric had finally made it to the Lockwood mansion as well. It looked like they were the last guests to arrive. The place was already packed. Ric tried to ignore the stares and whispers as he followed his boyfriend out into the garden. They watched in amusement how Caroline flitted from one place to the next, making adjustments and barking orders. “She helped Mrs. Lockwood with the organisation.” a voice behind them spoke up. “Matt, good to see you.” Ric greeted the blond barkeeper.

   
He was glad that Matt had obviously gotten over his shock and was treating them normally again. “Just watching her makes me all the more nervous.” Matt commented, still watching Caroline. “Why are you nervous? In the running for Miss Mystic as well?“ Damon needled, but Matt simply shook his head. “I`m April`s escort.” he explained. “Which means I`ll have to dance with her in front of all these people.”  
   
“I`m sure you`ll do great.” Ric tried to cheer him up. “Weren`t you supposed to be Caroline`s escort when she was competing? Since Caroline leaves nothing to chance I`m sure you`ve practiced this dance often enough.” The barkeeper agreed with a laugh, just as the blonde vampire in question showed up to herd him inside. “I need to talk to you. About Bonnie.” she whispered, after Matt had left. “But not today. I`ve got my hands full with the pageant and then I also have to make time for Klaus.” Damon and Ric looked at her quizzically. “Why do you have to make time for Klaus?” the dark-haired vampire asked. “He`s kinda my date. Long story. I`ll tell you tomorrow, okay?“  
   
Not giving them a chance to reply she headed off again to order some waiters around. “I don`t care what you say. That girl is nuts.” Damon commented. Ric on the other hand was a little worried. If Caroline wanted to talk about Bonnie it couldn`t be good. But his boyfriend didn`t give him a chance to dwell on it. “Hey, it`s starting.” he suddenly noticed, grabbing Ric`s hand and dragging him towards the stage to watch.  
   
On stage Carol Lockwood was just welcoming the guests, before introducing Caroline as the reigning Miss Mystic Falls. Seconds later the blonde walked onstage to introduce this year`s contestants and Ric was starting to wonder if she was using vampire speed. If she did, at least no-one seemed to have noticed. He and Damon watched the contestants, who were led to the dance floor by their respective escorts. Of course Damon had to provide a running commentary and unfortunately he wasn`t doing it as quietly as Ric would have liked. The four old ladies to their right were giving him dark looks, but he didn`t appear to notice.  
   
Anna was the second to last. She was wearing a long, burgundy dress, which highlighted her soft curves and had her hair done up beautifully. “Now that´s a dress!” Damon commented, clearly pleased with his choice. Ric had to admit that the colour highlighted Anna`s pale skin and dark hair perfectly. The four old ladies on the other hand found it too sexy and complained loudly about the slit. “Boring old hags.” Damon spat loud enough for them to hear. Once again they were glaring daggers at him.  
   
Ric didn`t say anything. Instead he watched April Young entering the dance-floor with Matt. “Uptight, boring… I bet Elena picked that.” Damon commented upon seeing April`s simple blue dress. This time the old ladies weren`t the only ones who glared at the vampire. Elena, who was standing a few feet away, looked like she wanted to throttle him as well. “I think you`re right about that.” Ric agreed.  
   
Just like he had expected Matt did rather well on the dance-floor. But Anna and Jeremy looked good as well. “Looks like Stefan`s tutoring helped.” Alaric whispered and applauded along with the rest of the audience once the dance had ended. “Come on, let`s get a drink. I`m in no mood to listen to those girls yapping about their achievements for society.” Damon mocked. Alaric followed him to the bar, not even trying to hide his grin, while the four old ladies scoffed that some people just had no manners and should better stay away from cultural events such as this one.  
   
The two vampires got Bourbon from the bar and took a stroll through the lavishly decorated garden. Alaric was glad that everyone seemed interested in the pageant and they weren`t being stared at for a change. Unfortunately they weren`t the only ones who took no interest in the contestant`s interviews.  
   
Klaus had obviously decided on a little walk as well and was now heading towards them with an all too friendly smile. “Now, look what we`ve got here. I already heard about your mysterious resurrection. Rather impressive, I have to admit.” he told Alaric. “Well, yeah, but don`t worry. I would still love to kill you, but since there`s a high possibility that it would kill Damon as well I`m going to hold back.” the teacher assured with a false smile.  
   
Klaus laughed. “Yes indeed. You wouldn`t risk the life of your lover, now would you? Not that it would matter. You´re no match for me.“ he stated arrogantly. Ric didn`t mention that Klaus had in fact been very scared of his evil alter ego. Provoking the original would lead nowhere. Since they couldn`t kill him they`d just have to find a way to live with him. He also noticed that Klaus was rather well behaved for his standards. He probably didn`t want to upset Caroline.  
   
“Shouldn`t you be watching the contestant´s interviews?” Damon asked in an attempt to get rid of the original. “I could ask you the same thing.” Klaus shot back. “We`re only here because it`s expected of council members. And because of the free drinks.” the dark-haired vampire admitted with a shrug. It was really no secret after all. “I`m only here because of the lovely Miss Forbes.” Klaus explained, his eyes darting to the pretty blonde who was still doing interviews. “How did you manage that?” Damon wanted to know. It was no secret that Klaus fancied the blonde vampire. But it was also no secret that she usually brushed him off. If she wasn`t supposed to be distracting him, of course.  
   
“I only offered her my support after Tyler´s… betrayal.” the original claimed. When the other two just looked at him questioningly he pointed to a table a little off to the side, where Tyler was sitting next to a sluttily dressed brunette. “I guess you haven`t met his little wolf-friend, yet. Not surprising, really. She´s not exactly the type to show off, is she? I really have to say, I`m disappointed in Tyler. Caroline deserves better.”  
   
Ric didn`t reply. He couldn`t imagine Tyler cheating on Caroline. A few days ago everything had been okay between them and he was sure Caroline would have mentioned something. “She´s a werewolf?” he questioned when it became clear that Klaus was waiting for a reaction and that Damon had obviously decided to ignore the original. “Indeed. I must say, I`m surprised Caroline didn`t tell you. You`re not really up to date about what`s going on here, are you?” the original mocked.  
   
“And I`m surprised you have the time to meddle in the love-life of a few teenagers, considering that you just lost a hunter, who´s probably already planning a revenge attack on you.” Damon spoke up again. That finally wiped the smug grin off Klaus’ face. “What do you know about the hunter?” he growled. “Oh, quite a few things actually. That he`s on the lose again. Who sent him here. And that we shouldn`t kill him, if we value our sanity.“  
   
“So you heard of the hunters curse.” It wasn`t exactly a question, but the dark-haired vampire nodded anyway. “What`s so special about the guy to merit your interest? He can hardly kill you, can he?” Damon wanted to know. “You shouldn`t stick your nose into other people`s business. Both of you. And if you`ll excuse me now… Caroline is waiting.“ the original muttered, before stalking off, although Caroline was still busy on stage. “Not exactly informative.” Damon commented. Ric only shrugged. He hadn`t expected anything different. But he wanted to know what was going on between Tyler and Caroline.  
   
Damon didn`t really seem interested in that and Ric felt it wouldn`t be a good idea to ask Tyler, so he decided to wait. Caroline wanted to talk to them anyway. So they got another round of drinks, had a short talk with Liz, who told them that she had heard nothing about the hunter so far and then strolled around some more. For a few minutes they watched Anna`s interview, but quickly lost interest and instead went in search of a quiet corner, where they could wait for the end of the pageant.  
   
They were just about to head inside, when Damon suddenly stopped and looked back into the garden. Ric followed his line of sight and spied Professor Shane talking to Tyler`s wolf-friend. The older vampire frowned, noticed Tyler standing a few feet away and went over to him. “Hey Lassie, how do those two know each other?” Tyler gave him an exasperated look. “They don`t. He started chatting her up. Paranoid much?”  
   
“The weird professor shows up here, after most of the council got burnt to a crisp. We find out that he didn`t only chat regularly with the pastor, who most likely sparked the explosion, but also that he set a mysterious hunter on us. So, yes maybe I`m paranoid.” Damon grumbled. The hybrid looked thoughtful. “What is your… friend doing here?” Ric chimed in. “Hayley? She´s just visiting me.“ Tyler mumbled. The teacher looked at him with raised eyebrows. “She helped me in the past and… it`s complicated, okay? Just stay out of it.” the hybrid barked and ran off.  
   
Ric and Damon shared a quick look and the dark-haired vampire shrugged. “I don`t even want to know.” That whole teenager drama stuff wasn`t their business. They really had other things to worry about. So after one last look at the crazy professor they went inside and snuck into Mrs. Lockwood´s office. Damon raided her hidden mini-bar and they flopped down on the couch.  
   
Unfortunately it didn`t take long for Carol to find them and scold them about being in her office. “The winner will be announced any time now. So go outside, make Smalltalk. And don`t ever sneak into my office again.” she ordered. Grumbling the two vampires complied and went back outside to watch the crowning of the new Miss Mystic Falls.  
   
Alaric really hoped Anna would win, but he wasn`t really surprised when she didn`t. She smiled anyway when she joined them along with Jeremy. “April Young. Come on. She only won because of all the pity votes she got for her dad blowing himself up.“ Damon snarked. Ric noticed that they had ended up standing right next to the four old ladies again, who were already glaring at his boyfriend once more. Anna on the other hand only shrugged. “That`s okay. I didn`t really want to win. Mama would be happy that I participated. And the dancing was fun.”  
   
“The judges are idiots. You were by far the prettiest girl up there.“ Jeremy assured his girlfriend, which caused Damon to roll his eyes and make gagging noises. The two teens decided to ignore him and walked away holding hands. Ric shook his head over his boyfriend´s behaviour. Sometimes Damon acted like a twelve year old.  
   
The official part of the evening was over, but the party would be going on well into the night. Inside the buffet had been opened, waiters were rushing around, serving champagne and outside in the garden a band was playing next to the dance-floor. Damon and Ric wandered around and made Smalltalk like Carol had ordered. Some people assured Alaric how glad they were that the rumours of his death had turned out to be false. The school`s principal complimented Damon on his idea to let Anna participate in the pageant, since it included her in Mystic Falls society. In typical Damon fashion the dark-haired vampire accepted the compliment without mentioning that it had been Anna`s idea and not his.  
   
There were still some people whispering behind their backs, but slowly the excitement about their relationship seemed to die down. They only noticed a few guys from the football team, who had a bet going on whether or not they would kiss in public again tonight. Damon suggested compelling them. “We could make them run naked across the stage. Or drop their pants in front of Carol Lockwood. Everyone would think they`re just drunk.” Ric found the idea very tempting, but still stopped Damon from putting his plan into action. Damon declared him a total bore.  
   
Aside from a few minor incidents the evening turned out really nice. Once it got dark thousands of fairy lights bathed the garden in an unearthly glow. Damon and Alaric retired into the shadow of a tree, from where they could watch the proceedings. Anna had pulled Jeremy onto the dance-floor again, Elena was dancing with Matt and even Klaus had managed to get Caroline to dance with him. Much to the dismay of Tyler, who was watching them angrily from the side, completely ignoring his friend Hayley.  
   
“Dance with me.” Ric looked at Damon in surprise. “What?“ he asked. “Dance with me.“ the dark-haired vampire repeated. “No thanks.“ Ric declined with a smirk, returning his attention to the dancing couples. He thought his boyfriend was only joking. “Why not?“ The teacher looked back at Damon, surprised to find him pouting. “Are you serious?” Damon nodded. “Of course I`m serious.“ And he really looked like he meant it. “I can`t dance, Damon. And there are so many people here.“  
   
“Back at that party at Whitmore College you danced with me.” the dark-haired vampire reminded him. “That was different. For one, I was completely high on fresh blood and it wasn`t a waltz. And there were no onlookers.” In the darkness of that house no-one had paid attention to them. Here they would be totally in the spotlight. But Damon obviously didn`t want to see that. “So? Let them stare. Doesn`t matter. Or are you ashamed of me?“ Ric sighed. “No, of course not.“ he assured his boyfriend. “Then why don`t you want to dance with me? We kissed in the Grill. Everyone knows we`re together.”  
   
Finally Alaric realized that he had obviously hurt Damon´s feelings. And the older vampire was right. Everyone knew about them. Hadn`t he told Elena just a few days ago, that he didn`t want to keep his relationship secret? “Okay, fine. But I`m leading. And don`t complain when I step on your toes.“ he relented. Damon grinned and dragged him onto the dance-floor. Ric could hear the whispers all around, but tried to ignore them, while he took Damon´s hand and put his other hand on Damon`s hip.  
   
“You lied. You do know how to dance.” Damon mumbled after a while. “Mostly in theory.” Alaric had learned how to dance for his wedding, but hardly ever used that knowledge. Isobel had never showed much interest. And he always felt a little off on the dance-floor. He always had the feeling everyone was staring at him. Tonight all the more. But at least it made Damon happy, which was enough compensation for him. Damon´s eyes were practically glowing and a soft smile was playing about his lips.  
   
Alaric tore his eyes away from his boyfriend and glanced to the side, where he spied the four old ladies, who had been muttering about Damon all day. Once again they didn`t even try to conceal their disdain. Damon followed his line of sight and snorted. “Stupid old hags.” he muttered darkly. They were really starting to annoy Alaric and he felt a stab of defiance. It really was nobody`s business who he decided to spend his life with. Without thinking about it too much he pulled Damon even closer and kissed him.  
   
It was only a short, innocent kiss. Their lips parted all too soon and Ric`s eyes drifted back to the four old ladies. He gave them a challenging look and grinned when they quickly turned away. Damon chuckled. “I fear I`m a bad influence on you.” The teacher chuckled as well. “Definitely.” he agreed. Suddenly the whispers weren`t affecting him anymore. They could scoff all they wanted. What did those old hags know about him? And who cared about their opinion? The only thing that mattered was the happy smile on his boyfriend`s face.  
   
“I love you.” Damon`s eyes widened at hearing those three words and his smile got even bigger. The older vampire felt his heart skip a beat. This time it was a lot easier to respond in kind. “I love you too.” Ric grinned and they let the music take them away. Damon was a little sad when the song ended, but allowed Ric to lead him off the dance-floor. There would be many more chances like this. In Mystic Falls there was usually a party every other week.  
   
“I need a drink.” the teacher decided, leaving his boyfriend standing next to the dance-floor. Damon called after him to bring him one as well and then winked at the four old ladies, who were staring yet again. They quickly turned away and he grinned. But he sobered quickly when he spied Stefan walking towards him. “I want to apologize.” Stefan said, completely surprising the older Salvatore. “What?”  
   
“I`m sorry that I was so suspicious and didn`t believe you, that you`re really serious about this thing with Alaric.” the younger one explained. “I watched the two of you. Today and also in the last few days and… I can`t remember the last time I`ve seen you this happy.” Damon felt at a loss for words. All the more so when Stefan pulled him into a hug, which he returned awkwardly. “I`m happy for you, Damon.” Stefan assured. Damon pulled away a little uncomfortable and muttered a rather sheepish “Thanks.”.   
   
For a moment the two brothers stood staring at each other, until Damon decided to swallow his pride and apologize as well. “I`m sorry about the whole Elena-thing.” Stefan beamed, gave him another hug and then went onto the dance-floor, to pull Elena from Matt`s arms. The barkeeper looked glad about it and quickly hurried off. Damon grinned when he heard Elena asking his brother if he was drunk. Yes, Stefan usually wasn`t a big fan of dancing either.  
   
The older Salvatore jumped in shock when a strong arm wrapped around him from behind. He accepted the glass of Bourbon and leaned against Alaric with a sigh. “Stefan apologized.” he told the teacher. “Yeah, I heard. I didn`t want to interrupt you.“ Damon watched his brother twirling Elena around and couldn`t help but smile. Maybe they could finally put the past behind them and just be brothers again. If he was completely honest with himself he had missed his baby brother. “Want to head home?” he asked. “My place or yours?” was Alaric´s immediate reply.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to RavensCat for all the lovely Reviews.

Alaric wasn`t surprised when Caroline showed up at the boarding house early next day. After her words the day before he had already been expecting her. Damon wasn`t happy that the blonde was worming her way into their lives, as he put it, but he had promised to behave. Of course that didn`t mean he actually would behave, but it was at least a start. Ric led Caroline into the library and the three vampires took a seat on the couch. Stefan had obviously spent the night with Elena and wasn`t home yet. Jeremy had left to start his shift at the Grill, accompanied by Anna, who would keep him company.  
   
“Okay, what did you want to tell us?” Alaric prodded after watching Caroline fidget for a few minutes. “It´s about Bonnie.” she started hesitantly. “Yeah, that`s what you said yesterday.” Damon reminded her. Ric silenced him with a look and urged the blonde to continue. “I talked to her about… Professor Shane. I didn`t tell her what you found out, don`t worry. Stefan said, we shouldn`t tell her, yet. But I thought I could at least try to warn her. So I asked her why she trusts him so much. I mean, she doesn`t even know him, right?”  
   
Caroline looked off into the distance. “She got mad. Like… really mad. She said you had planted wrong ideas in my head and that I… I should ask myself who I can trust and leave her alone, because my judgement is obviously seriously clouded. And if I was really her friend I would be happy that she´s making progress and not stab her in the back.” Bonnie´s words seemed to have hurt the blonde a lot more then she let on. Alaric could see that, although she tried to act brave. “She´s just so… strange. It feels like I don`t even know her anymore.” she whispered after a while.  
   
The teacher nodded. He had noticed the change in Bonnie as well. “She said Shane is helping her with her powers.” he remembered. “Did she say anything more about that? What exactly he´s doing to help her?” Caroline thought about it for a moment. “She said something about hypnosis. I remember, because she was surprised that it had worked. Usually it doesn`t work on witches. And she said he`s teaching her a different kind of magic.”  
   
“A different kind of magic?” Alaric repeated. That sounded ominous. “Yes, she told me what it was called, but I can`t remember. It was a strange name.” Caroline muttered. Damon rolled his eyes and was obviously about to say something snarky, when Elena and Stefan entered the library. Stefan walked over to his brother and handed him a piece of paper. “We went through some of the documents from Shane`s office. Did you see this?”  
   
Damon took the paper and held it so that Ric could look at it as well. “No, doesn’t look familiar. But I didn`t have time to read everything, yet.” the teacher mumbled apologetically. His boyfriend had kept him from this task. “Is that… some kind of family tree?” Damon wondered. “It looks like it. Bonnie´s family tree.“ Stefan pointed out. Damon read some of the names and had to agree. There were quite a few he recognized. He´d had dealings with enough Bennetts in his long life, starting with Emily and her children, right down to Bonnie´s great-grandmother Amelia. On top of the tree Shane had scribbled a name they had seen a few times in his documents and Damon wondered once again, why it sounded so familiar – Quetsiyah.  
   
“Where the hell have I heard that name before?” he muttered to himself. Alaric looked thoughtful as well. “Which name?” Stefan wanted to know, just as Caroline suddenly shouted: “Expression!” Everyone turned to stare at her. “The other kind of magic. Bonnie said it`s called expression.“ she explained. Alaric felt chills down his spine. Slowly the puzzle pieces were fitting themselves together and he started to understand. He glanced over at Damon, who looked worried as well. “Celia talked about Quetsiyah. That`s where we heard the name before. Do you remember what she said about the veil? About destroying it?“ the teacher asked.  
   
“You need an expression… something.” the dark-haired vampire muttered. “Triangle. An expression-triangle. And a witch who is a descendant of Quetsiyah.“ the teacher corrected. “And according to Shane`s research Bonnie is a descendant of Quetsiyah.” Damon agreed. “So you think he.. wants to destroy the veil?“ Alaric shrugged. “It looks like it. Why else should he teach Bonnie expression?“  
   
“What are you talking about?“ Elena chimed in. Damon and Ric shared a quick look. They had agreed not to tell the others anything about this spell. But if they were right about Shane´s plans they had to know. “It`s about the spell that brought Ric and Anna back.” Damon began. “Yeah, you said something about a veil, separating our world from the other side.” Stefan remembered.  
   
“Exactly. When the witch brought Alaric back, she only created a tear in the veil. To destroy it is almost impossible. Almost, but not completely. The problem is, if you destroy it, you`ll bring back every dead supernatural being.” the older Salvatore explained. “And to destroy that veil, this guy needs Bonnie help? And a… triangle? Does he have one of those?” Caroline wanted to know. “That`s no object. It`s something that has to be created. And that´s not that easy.” Damon shrugged it off.  
   
Alaric on the other hand was suddenly considering a scary possibility. “What if he already started creating it?” he spoke up hesitantly. It took only a moment until Damon got what he was hinting at. “The explosion at the Young-farm.” he murmured. “Twelve dead people.” Ric added. “Why do you suddenly know all this stuff? You said you don`t remember anything about the spell.” Elena wondered. Damon shrugged. “Yeah, we lied.“ he admitted. “You lied? But… why?“ Stefan understood a lot faster than his girlfriend. “Because Damon and Jeremy had to kill 12 people for the spell.”  
   
“12 vampires to be exact.” the older Salvatore corrected casually. “You did what?!” Elena shrieked. “It was necessary.“ Damon defended his actions, but that didn`t comfort the brunette. “Necessary? You can`t just kill 12 people. And you made my brother help you! What the hell were you thinking, Damon?” she yelled in protest. Alaric was afraid that Damon would get angry and yell back, but the dark-haired vampire surprised him, by asking calmly: “If a psycho witch murdered Stefan and you had to kill 12 people to get him back… What would you do?”  
   
Elena was at a loss for words. “If it was Tyler, or my mum… hell, if it was one of you, I`d do it.” Caroline admitted. Stefan nodded as well. “Okay, I get your point.“ Elena gave in. “And you think Professor Shane wants to destroy the veil?“ Stefan steered the conversation back to the original topic. “It looks like it.“ Alaric mumbled, before turning to Damon. “We need more information.“ The older Salvatore sighed in defeat. “I`ll try to contact Celia. If there´s anyone who can help us, it´s her.”  
   
He went to fetch his laptop and typed the name of her shop into the search box, while Alaric explained who Celia was. Only a few minutes later Damon returned with a phone number. He called Celia and put her on speaker, so the others could talk to her as well.  
   
Celia answered after the third ring. “It`s Damon. I need your help.” the dark-haired vampire cut straight to the point. “Again? What´s the matter this time?” she sounded amused. “We`ve got a problem with a crazy professor, who obviously wants to destroy the veil. He found a descendant of Qetsiyah and is teaching her expression. And I think he already started on creating an expression triangle.” Damon quickly explained. Celia was silent for long moments. “Are you sure that the witch is a descendant of Qetsiyah?” she finally asked. “Shane believes she is. Her name is Bonnie Bennett. He`s got a family tree with Qetsiyah`s name on top.”  
   
“A Bennett-witch. She might be the right one.” Celia murmured almost to herself. “Wait a moment, did you say Shane? Professor Atticus Shane?” she asked suddenly. “Don`t tell me you know him?“ Damon groaned in disbelief. “I mostly knew his wife. There aren´t many witches who know expression.” The dark-haired vampire shared a quick look with his boyfriend. “His wife is a witch?” the teacher prodded. “She was a witch. She´s dead. So is their son. I only met Atticus once in person, a few month after their deaths. He was obsessing over how to get them back.”  
   
And yet more puzzle pieces slid into place. So this was why Shane wanted to destroy the veil. “You could`ve helped him, couldn`t you?” Damon asked. “I think so. But I didn`t owe him anything and I also didn`t like him. He seemed manic. I thought it would be best to stay clear of him.” Celia`s words made goose bumps rise on Alarics´s arms. He had found the witch creepy and he`d felt her immense power. If she thought it better to stay clear of Shane that could only mean trouble.  
   
“Your Bennett-witch.. does she trust him?” Celia wanted to know. “As far as we can tell she seems to trust him a lot. She almost seems to idolize him. She had problems with her magic and he´s helping her.” Damon explained. “She changed a lot. She`s aggressive and suspicious. Even towards her friends.“ Ric added. “And it seems like Shane is completely obsessed with some old legend. It`s about a guy called Silas.” Celia snorted. “Of course. I should have known he`d get started on that.“ she muttered. “Can you tell us more?” Damon asked.  
   
The witch sighed and started explaining: “Silas was a powerful warlock. Though not as powerful as his fiancée Qetsiyah. She was madly in love with him and to preserve this love forever she created a spell that would grant them immortality. But Silas cheated her and used the spell for himself and his true love Ayana. When Qetsiyah realized it she swore to get revenge. She created a weapon that could kill even an immortal and used it to kill Ayana. Afterwards she created the veil, before burying Silas alive along with the weapon, giving him the option to kill himself and be transported to the otherworld she had created. But then he would never see his beloved Ayana again, since she had been a mere mortal. Only when the veil is destroyed can he hope to be united with his true love again. And so he waits.”  
   
“So Shane is only obsessed with this legend, because it tells him how to destroy the veil?” Alaric mused. Celia hesitated, which made him nervous. “Some people tell stories about a mysterious island. There`s supposed to be a well, which can help you contact dead people. You have to offer up your blood to do so. Some think that Silas is buried at the bottom of this well and that the people who offer up her blood don`t actually talk to their loved ones, but to Silas. Even after thousands of years of being buried alive he is still powerful. He can influence people, if they are likely to fall for it. He is waiting for someone to free him, so he can finally destroy the veil and die in peace.”  
   
Her words sent chills down Alaric`s spine. He hoped he had misunderstood her. “You think Shane might have been on this island?” he prodded. “It´s highly possible. And he would be likely to fall for Silas’ manipulation. Maybe Silas offered him the return of his wife and son, if Shane´s frees him.” the witch confirmed his fears.  
   
“What do you know about the five hunters?” Damon spoke up again. “You already know a lot.” Celia commented, before answering: “The hunters were created by one of Qetsiyah`s descendants. It is their duty to find and kill Silas. Their tattoos are the key to his resting place. If a hunter dies, another will eventually take his place, until their task is finally completed.”  
   
“Shane set a hunter on us.” Damon told the witch. She was silent for long moments. Then she suddenly decided: “I`m coming to Mystic Falls. Your witch probably doesn`t even know what she`s getting herself into. From what I know of Shane he´ll use her to get what he wants, no matter how severe the consequences for her might be. Expression can be highly dangerous.” she warned. “Dangerous?” Caroline repeated fearfully. “It`s easy to overestimate yourself. Especially if you don´t know what you`re doing. Shane´s wife died, because she tried a spell that was too much for her.”  
   
They discussed a few more details before Celia hung up. She had promised to come as soon as possible and had warned them to stay away from Bonnie. “Shouldn`t we at least try to warn her?” Caroline asked, clearly scared for her friend. “No. You heard Celia. Bonnie wouldn`t believe us and we couldn`t even help her. Let the witch take care of it.” Damon ordered. Reluctantly the blonde agreed. They could only hope that Celia would be here soon and that there wouldn`t be another mass murder in the meantime.  
   
“What`s up with you and Tyler?” Alaric asked suddenly in an attempt to distract Caroline. “We pretend to have split up.” she answered. The teacher frowned an wanted to know why. “Hayley helped him to break the sire bond to Klaus. Now they want to do the same for the other hybrids. Klaus thinks Tyler had an affair with Hayley and we thought it would be better to let him believe that, so he won`t snoop around and find out what they`re really planning.” the blonde explained.  
   
Alaric thought it wouldn`t be a good idea to mess with Klaus. Since Elena was now a vampire and he could create no more hybrids he would be anxious to keep the remaining ones. Damon on the other hand worried about something else. “Tyler´s little wolf-friend was chatting with professor creepy yesterday. They looked very cosy. Lassie said they don`t know each other, but I`m not convinced. It´s a strange coincidence that she shows up here shortly after he did. And I don`t believe in coincidence. Especially when it comes to the mad professor.”  
   
“You think she`s somehow part of his plan?” Stefan asked. “It´s possible. And therefore I think we should keep an eye on her.“ Damon warned. “Maybe Liz could check her for us.” Alaric suggested. The others nodded. “I`ll ask mum to do that.“ Caroline promised, before taking her leave. After Damon had warned her once again not to tell Bonnie anything.  
   
The other four remained seated in the library for a while. “I`ll get Elena´s blood ration.” Stefan decided after some time and disappeared downstairs. Ric went to the kitchen to make coffee. He needed something to clear his head. Damon and Elena remained in the library. “So… you and Ric… that`s serious, yeah?” the brunette asked quietly. “It is.” Damon confirmed, casting a sly look at her. “Why? Are you jealous?” he joked.  
   
To his surprise Elena blushed and looked away. “Maybe. A little.” she admitted. “Somehow it was… nice.. to have you both compete over me.“ She hesitantly met his eyes. “Oh god, I`m just like Katherine.” she nearly sobbed, disgusted with herself. Damon chuckled. “Not really. Well, maybe a little. Don`t worry. I`ll let you know if you`re turning into an egoistic little bitch.“ he promised. Elena punched his arm. “Dick!”  
   
“I barely even felt that. That`s all you got, Buffy?” the dark-haired vampire mocked and Elena had to fight a smile. “Forget what I said. I really don`t envy Alaric.” Damon snorted. “But you should. I`m a catch.“ he bragged with a smirk. “I don´t even want to know what you`re talking about, do I?” Stefan asked upon returning to the library. Damon was glad that he didn`t look jealous or angry at catching them joking around together. “Elena was mean to me.” he pouted, coaxing a grin from his brother. “You probably deserved it.” Stefan commented drily, handing Elena a bottle of animal blood.  
   
Damon didn`t miss the fact that she drank only reluctantly and grimaced at the taste, but he didn`t comment. If she wanted to talk about it she`d come to him. Of that he was sure. Until then he didn`t want to do something that might strain his relationship with his brother, now they had finally made peace. “No-one understands me.” he complained loudly, just as Alaric returned with four cups of coffee. “Not true. I understand you. At least sometimes.“ the teacher corrected, handing out the cups. They took their seats on the couch again and Damon cuddled against his side. “True. You`re the big exception here.” he agreed. “But where is this going? Spontaneous double-date?“ he asked, looking around.  
   
“Couldn`t be worse than our double-date with Caroline and Matt.“ Elena murmured. “Oh god, don´t remind me.” Stefan groaned dramatically. “I`m really sorry for forcing that on you.“ the brunette apologized. “Well, at least Matt got my car running again. So it was good for something.” the younger Salvatore admitted with a sigh. “Come on, can`t have been that bad. Have you forgotten the Brady sisters?” his older brother wanted to know. “Thanks Damon. I had pushed that out of my mind.”  
   
“The Brady girls were the daughters of a rich salesman. Our father was trying to match make us with them, when they were visiting town for a few weeks.” Damon explained to the others. “I think Molly Brady was the most boring woman on earth. She was talking about stitching and her dresses for hours on end.” Stefan added. “Come on, you got the better part of the deal.” Damon insisted. “Her older sister looked like a cow and smelled like a prostitute. And that piercing laughter…” He shuddered at the memory. “Well your father obviously didn`t get his wish.” Alaric murmured with a grin. “Damon accidently pushed Margaret into the lake. After that they went home early.“ Stefan remembered, causing the others to laugh.  
   
Damon refrained from telling them that his father had forced him to join the confederate army as a punishment and had threatened to disown him if he didn`t. Not even Stefan knew that. He had always let his younger brother believe that he`d joined the army willingly to get away from their father.  
   
In an attempt to distract himself from these dark thoughts he turned to his boyfriend: “So, what about you, Ric? Any horrible double-dates in your past?” The teacher nodded. “There was this one evening. Isobel forced me to go on a double-date with her and a friend she hadn`t seen in years. Her friend was married to a guy from Sweden. Unfortunately he didn`t understand our language, so we sat there, not saying a word the whole time, while Is and her friend gossiped about old times. That were probably the two longest hours of my life.”  
   
They sat together for a few more hours and talked about awkward dates and other embarrassing stories. Damon had to admit that it was nice to be able to talk to his brother normally again and share childhood stories. When it started to get dark outside Stefan and Elena went back to the Gilbert house, while Damon and Ric had dinner at the Grill. Of course they received quite a few stares again, but it was getting easier for Ric to ignore them and just concentrate on his boyfriend instead.


	13. Chapter 13

Alaric`s lips trailed over Damon´s throat teasingly. He smirked when the dark-haired vampire mumbled something incomprehensible. The teacher had spent a few minutes watching his sleeping boyfriend, once more amazed at the fact that Damon looked so innocent when he slept. After a while he had gotten bored and decided to wake the older vampire. Now his tongue left a wet trail across Damon´s torso. The teacher could see Damon`s eyelids fluttering and was sure that the older vampire was already awake and just pretending to sleep. With a grin he let one of his hands slip under the covers, ghosting it over the inside of Damon´s thighs. At least one part of the dark-haired vampire was by now most definitely awake.  
   
Ric wrapped his hand around Damon`s erection and started stroking it lightly. Still his boyfriend kept his eyes closed and wasn`t showing much reaction, but his breathing was getting heavier. With an evil grin Alaric let go of him. “Guess you`re really tired. I`ll better let you sleep and shower alone then.” he mumbled and tried to get up. He could hear a low growl and seconds later he found himself on his back, with Damon straddling him. “Don´t you dare.” the dark-haired vampire warned.  
   
“Suddenly awake?“ Ric taunted, rolling them so they were lying facing each other. He pulled Damon closer and started stroking him again. Damon imitated the action, gasping as he thrust into Ric`s hand. They came together, calling out the other´s name. “I could start every day like this.” the older vampire mused, cuddling against his boyfriend. “Hmm, me too.” Ric agreed.  
   
A couple of minutes later they finally got up, showered together and then went downstairs for breakfast. Elena was just brewing coffee, while Stefan sat at the kitchen table, still half-asleep. “Breakfast?” Alaric asked no-one in particular. The others mumbled in agreement, so he quickly set to work. Damon went to help him and they worked in perfect sync. Minutes later Jeremy and Anna appeared, looking surprised that all of them had spent the night at the Gilbert´s. “Nice. A family breakfast.” Elena commented with a smile.  
   
Alaric was glad that they all seemed to accept his and Damon`s relationship now. And he was really happy that the Salvatore brothers had gotten closer again, now that there was no woman standing between them anymore. Anna still seemed a little shy around the others and the teacher couldn`t help but wonder how long it had been since she`d had somewhere she belonged. He decided to try and include her a little more from now on. After all, she was part of his weird patchwork-family now, too.  
   
###  
   
All too soon their quiet morning was interrupted by a call from sheriff Forbes, who told Damon what she had found out about Hayley. “She has a police record, but nothing too serious. She was in an accident where a boy died. It couldn`t be proven that it was her fault, but I guess that`s how she triggered the curse. I don`t know if it´s important, but she was adopted. I found nothing about her biological parents.” The vampire nodded absently and wondered when the big but would come. “But…” he prodded, when Liz hesitated. “I got her phone records. Which wasn`t exactly easy and also not quite legal. I had to cash in a favour and… there were regular calls to Professor Shane over the last month.” the sheriff confirmed Damon´s suspicion.  
   
“I haven’t told Caroline, yet. I`m afraid she might overreact. This is Tyler we`re talking about and she`s very protective of him. I was hoping you could handle this.” Liz admitted. “Okay, we´ll take care of it.” Damon promised, casting a glance at Alaric who nodded in agreement. “Thank you, Damon. Please keep me up to date.” the sheriff asked. “Don´t worry, I will.”  
   
“Yeah, so much for paranoid.” the dark-haired vampire grumbled after hanging up. “What are you going to do now?” Elena asked, the concern in her voice palpable. Damon shrugged. “I`ll guess we´re going to have a little chat with the wolf-girl.” It sounded innocent enough, but the tone of his voice told Ric exactly what kind of chat he had planned. Stefan seemed to realize that, too as well as Jeremy, who had already witnessed back with Mason Lockwood how Damon usually chatted to werewolves. But no-one protested. “Okay, let`s go then. I guess we`ll have to stop at the boarding house first.“ Ric mused.  
   
Damon nodded. They had already reached the front door when Elena caught up to them and asked if there was anything she could do to help. Damon and Ric shared a quick look. The brunette obviously hadn`t realized what they were planning, yet. And it would be better if it stayed that way. “You can distract vampire Barbie, so she doesn`t get in our way.” the older Salvatore decided. “Okay. I`ll call her and ask her to come over. We can talk about Bonnie.”  
   
Damon and Ric nodded and drove to the boarding house, where Ric fetched some wolfsbane from his weapons bag. He felt sick when he thought of what they were about to do. He only hoped the girl would cooperate without Damon having to use drastic measures. But he also knew that he wouldn`t stop his boyfriend if it came to the worst. Sometimes you just had to retort to drastic measures. Professor Shane was a danger to all of them and they really needed to know more about his plans, if they wanted to have a chance of stopping him.  
   
Weapons packed they continued to the Lockwood mansion. Carol didn`t appear to be home, because it was Tyler who opened the door. “What do you want?” he asked in annoyance. “We`re here to have a little chat with your friend Hayley.” Damon explained with a friendly smile. “About what?” the Hybrid wanted to know. “Oh, just the usual, you know. The weather, the latest town gossip, the creepy professor…“ the dark-haired vampire joked. Not surprising Tyler didn`t appreciate his humour. “You’re still on about that? She doesn`t know the guy. I asked her.“  
   
“Really? That`s weird, cause she spent a lot of time chatting to him on the phone last month.” Damon replied. The hybrid looked like he didn`t believe him, so Alaric chimed in: “Sheriff Forbes told us. You can ask her if you don´t believe us. But those two do know each other.” Hesitantly Tyler stepped aside and let them enter. They followed him to the kitchen, where Hayley was sipping her coffee. “They want to talk to you.” Tyler murmured without looking at her.  
   
Damon stopped only inches from her, crossed his arms and looked down on her menacingly. “I`m not in the mood for Smalltalk, so let´s cut straight to the point: Why are you helping Professor Shane? What does he want you to do? And most importantly – what is your plan?” Hayley looked a little scared, but tried not to show it. “I`ve got no idea what you`re talking about. I don`t know that professor. And I don`t know you.” The dark-haired vampire snorted. “Can we skip the part where you pretend to be all clueless?” She put down her cup and shrugged, but stayed silent. “We know that you`ve been talking to him on the phone over the last few weeks. And not infrequently. There´s no sense in denying it.” Ric pointed out.  
   
“Why did you lie to me, Hayley?” Tyler wanted to know. She didn`t answer, which obviously spiked his anger. “I asked you a question, damn it! I`ve trusted you. Hell, I put my relationship on the line for you! And you`re lying to me!“ he shouted. That got a reaction. A very tearful one, much to Damon´s dismay. “I`m sorry.” Hayley sobbed. “He said he could help me find my parents. My real parents.“ Her explanation deflated Tyler´s anger instantly. He went over and put his hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently. Damon on the other hand wasn´t about to fall for her tears. “Okay, that`s a start. Go on. What´s his plan? Why is he here?“ he asked again.  
   
Hayley only shook her head and didn`t answer. “Listen to me, little girl. I`m trying to play it nice here, but if you don`t start answering my questions soon I`ll have to ask with a little more force. And that won`t be pretty. So?” She still didn`t say a word, but Tyler, who had obviously forgiven her thanks to the tearful apology didn`t take well to his threat. “Leave her alone.” he ordered. Damon ignored him and pulled something out of his pocket. “Is that… wolfsbane? You`re not seriously considering torturing her with that?” the hybrid asked in shock.  
   
“Why don`t you go out to play, Lassie? Or go to your room.” the dark-haired vampire suggested, taking another step closer to Hayley. She jumped up and shuffled into the far corner. Tyler stepped in front of her protectively. “Hayley is my friend. I`m not going to stand here and let you hurt her, like you hurt my uncle.” he growled. “Get out of my way.” Damon growled back.  
   
Alaric saw Tyler`s eyes changing colour, taking on the amber colour of the wolf´s eyes and he reacted without thinking. In the blink of an eye he had moved across the room, grabbed Tyler and pushed him against the far wall. He didn`t even notice that his own eyes darkened, the veins underneath filling with blood and turning black, his fangs breaking through. He gripped Tyler´s arms hard and held him pressed against the wall. “Don´t move.” he ordered threateningly.  
   
He was surprised when Tyler didn`t struggle against his death grip. The hybrid stood stock still and didn`t move a muscle. Slowly Alaric let go of him and still Tyler remained unmoving, only staring at him with a somewhat shocked look. Ric took a deep breath and felt his features returning to normal. “Tyler?” The hybrid blinked at him, looking confused. “I`m not moving.“ he replied in a monotone voice, that belied the terrified look in his eyes.  
   
Ric stumbled a few steps back and turned to Damon, who had used the distraction to push Hayley back onto a chair and hold her there with a strong grip to her shoulder. “Did … did I just… compel him?” the teacher stammered. Damon cocked his head and looked at Tyler in fascination. “Looks like it. That`s so cool.” he murmured. “Cool? I didn`t even mean to.“ Ric assured, but his boyfriend just shrugged. “You`re an original. We should`ve known you could do that.”  
   
“But… but I…” Alaric tried to protest, but Damon cut him off. “That`s useful for us. Leave him where he is. Then he can´t get in our way.” Ric complied hesitantly. He avoided the hybrid`s eyes and went to join his boyfriend. Hayley looked fearfully up at the two vampires. “So, once again… What are Shane`s plans?” Damon asked again, putting the wolfsbane close to her face. She flinched and her eyes darted to Tyler. “He can`t help you. You can only help yourself, now. If you tell us what we want to know, I`ll let you live. And now talk!” the dark-haired vampire ordered.  
   
“He wants me to… to get the hybrids to break their sire-bond and conspire against Klaus.” Hayley finally answered. “And what then? He wants to take out Klaus?“ She hesitated, shook her head and once again looked at Tyler. This time apologetic. “Then I would have warned Klaus, so he`ll get mad and kill them all.” she admitted in a whisper. Tyler gasped in shock and the two vampires looked at each other. “He needs exactly 12 hybrids, right?” Ric asked. The girl nodded. “The next expression-hotspot.“ the teacher concluded.  
   
“Tell us more.“ Damon demanded, but she shook her head. “I don`t know any more. I swear.” Ric believed her. He went over to Tyler and lifted the compulsion. Damon reluctantly put the wolfsbane away and Hayley got up, slowly inching towards Tyler. “Tyler, I`m so sorry. Shane promised me that he´d keep you out of it. You wouldn`t have gotten hurt…“ she promised. “And you really believe that changes anything?“ the hybrid shouted, making her flinch. “You used me! You lied to me! I thought I could trust you, but you betrayed me!“  
   
“No, I… I just wanted… I would`ve protected you. You would´ve been kept safe.” she sobbed, which only heatened Tyler`s anger. “But the others would have died! Because of me. Their blood would have been on my hands. Don`t you get it? And all because of your fucking selfishness!“ he raged. Hayley recoiled in fear. For a second it looked like he would hit her. But then he turned away abruptly, breathing heavily. “Leave! And never come back here.” he ordered. “Tyler…“ she tried, but he just shouted: “Go!” She flinched again and ran out.  
   
Damon and Alaric had watched the exchange silently. The older vampire was urging his boyfriend to leave, but Ric ignored him and went over to Tyler, who had flopped onto a chair and was staring straight ahead. “I`m sorry, Tyler. I wish we could`ve spared you all this.” The hybrid didn`t react. “And… I`m sorry for compelling you. I didn`t mean to. I only wanted to protect Damon.“ the teacher assured, before following Damon outside.  
   
“Well, that was informative.” Damon mused, while they left the house and got into the car again. Alaric only nodded absently. He was mostly glad that the girl had talked and they hadn`t had to torture her. “What’s wrong? Feeling guilty for compelling little Lockwood?” Damon asked, noticing that his boyfriend was strangely silent. “A little, yeah.“ Ric admitted. “I mean I… didn`t even know I could do that. I didn`t mean to do that. And that was already the second time I compelled someone without intending to.”  
   
Right, the security guy at Whitmore College, Damon remembered. He didn`t understand his boyfriend´s concern and wanted to brush it off with a snarky commentary, but then he looked over and saw that it really bothered Ric. So he tried understanding for a change. “Every vampire has different abilities. Or let`s say, some have stronger abilities than others. Some vampires need a lot of time to get the hang of compulsion. Stefan for example still isn`t really good at it. Okay, that’s mostly thanks to his stupid diet, but anyway… For you it´s just easy.”  
   
“But I don`t want it to be easy. Especially when I’m able to compel even vampires.” the teacher protested. “And I meant what I said earlier. It`s useful for us. Look at it this way: If we have to question a vampire and he´s uncooperative you can just compel him and I don’t have to torture him. Don’t you prefer it that way?” Ric looked at his boyfriend in surprise and had to admit that he was right. “Okay, that`s true.” he mumbled. “I guess I have to get used to the fact that you can actually win an argument with logic. Who would have thought?” he joked. Damon smirked. “I can act like an adult, if I have to. But don`t tell the others. You`d ruin my rep.”  
   
Alaric laughed and assured him that the secret would be safe, since no-one would believe him anyway. “And about that thing with compelling people… you`ll get used to it and you`ll learn to use it at will and not by accident. You`ll just have to be a little careful at first. And you didn`t hurt anyone. So no reason to fret.” Damon went back to the original topic. “I guess you`re right.” the teacher gave in, surprised that Damon´s words had really helped. He hadn’t hurt Tyler. And he`d only compelled him to protect Damon. So it was even justified.  
   
###  
   
Back at the Gilbert home Elena was seated in the living room with Caroline and Stefan. Anna and Jeremy had already left. Obviously no-one had informed the blonde so far, because she greeted Damon and Ric with a smile and asked where they had been. “We had a chat with the little wolf-girl.” Damon told her. Of course she was immediately worried. “Hayley? Why? Did my mom find something about her? Why didn`t she tell me? What did she say?“  
   
The older Salvatore rolled his eyes in annoyance. “Liz found out that Hayley does know professor creepy. They talked on the phone quite a few times. She asked me and Ric to look into it.” he answered. “What did you find out?” Stefan wanted to know. “Shane baited her with promises. He wanted her to get the hybrids to break their sire-bond and turn against Klaus.” Caroline was surprised at this. “But… I thought Tyler and her planned this. Now you`re telling us it was Shane`s idea? Why would he need the hybrids to turn on Klaus?”  
   
“As soon as they would`ve had 12 hybrids, she would have warned Klaus and gotten him to kill them. And Shane would have gotten his next expression hotspot.” Damon explained. The others were rendered speechless. “Maybe you should go to Tyler.” Alaric suggested. “He threw Hayley out. Her betrayal really hurt him and I think he could use some comforting.” The hybrid had looked so downcast when they left. “And I.. I compelled him by accident.” he admitted haltingly, ignoring Damon´s critical look. Obviously the dark-haired vampire had wanted to keep this secret.  
   
“But… Tyler is a hybrid. You can`t compel a hybrid.“ Elena protested, which caused Damon to roll his eyes and explain: “Alaric is an original vampire, remember? He can compel vampires and hybrids.” The brunette looked at her guardian in shock and he squirmed under her intense gaze. “I didn`t mean to. He was about to attack Damon and I just reacted instinctively.” he defended himself. “Well, that could prove useful.” Stefan mused. “Yeah, that’s what Damon said as well.“ Ric let him know. The younger Salvatore cast a surprised glance at his brother. It happened seldom enough that they agreed on something.  
   
“Okay, I`m off to Tyler then.” Caroline decided. “I mean… we don`t have to pretend we`re fighting anymore now, do we? He can’t help the other hybrids. If they break their sire-bond Klaus will kill them and Shane gets what he wants.” The others agreed with her. “Can you please explain that to Tyler as well?” Alaric asked. He was afraid the hybrid might continue his plan anyways and they couldn’t allow that to happen. “I`ll try.” the blonde promised and Ric felt the eyes of both Salvatores on himself. He knew what they were thinking. If Caroline wouldn`t be able to get Tyler to agree he would have to compel him again.  
   
###  
   
The afternoon luckily turned out pretty quiet. There was nothing they could do at the moment, concerning Shane and his crazy plans and the hunter hadn`t been spotted again so far. While that was a little disconcerting it at least gave them a break. Since tomorrow would be his first day back at work, Alaric went through the papers the school hand sent him. He quickly realized that the other teacher didn`t do a good job. His students were behind in their schedules and there hadn`t even been a single test since his … departure. He was more than a little annoyed that he would have to correct the other guy´s mistakes now and set about preparing his lessons for the upcoming week. Much to the annoyance of Damon, who grumbled at him for long minutes, before pouting and heading home.  
   
When the teacher reached the boarding house later that day, he found Damon in the library, playing chess with his brother, while Elena was sitting in front of the fireplace, writing in her diary. Smiling Ric watched the brothers for a while, glad that they got on so well again. Both were concentrating on the game, but couldn`t refrain from a few jibes here and there. It was quite charming to watch. And it surprised the teacher to see his boyfriend so still. Usually Damon was always in motion. There weren`t many things that could hold his attention for longer than maybe 20 minutes.  
   
Ric used the fact that his boyfriend was busy to look through the rest of the documents from Shane`s office. He found nothing interesting, though. At least nothing they didn`t know already. Just a few more stories about Silas and hints at Qetsiah`s family tree. The teacher really hoped Celia would be here soon and that they would manage to free Bonnie from Shane´s clutches with her help.  
   
In the evening Elena went back home, with Stefan in tow. Anna seemed to spend the night at the Gilbert`s as well, so Damon and Ric had the house to themselves. They spent some time in front of the fireplace, drinking and talking like they used to do. When the embers had died down, Damon suddenly mentioned that Ric had been neglecting him today. Ric smiled and dragged his boyfriend upstairs to apologize accordingly.  
 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @RavensCAT: Sorry, no fight and make-up sex in this chapter. Just didn´t fit with the storyline. Maybe in the next one.


	14. Chapter 14

Alaric entered the classroom, trying in vain to ignore his hammering heart. He felt even more nervous than he had on his first day of work here. Back then everything had been new and strange, but at least he didn`t have to fear accidently tearing into someone`s throat if his nerves got the better of him. Damon had driven him to school earlier and had waved away his concern with a sarcastic comment. He had also reminded Alaric that no-one had forced him to teach again. Really helpful.  
   
At least Elena, Caroline and Stefan would be in his first class today, so he`d have some back-up, just in case. All three gave him encouraging smiles when they entered the classroom and headed for their seats. The bell announced the start of first season and Ric jumped in shock. It sounded a lot louder than he remembered. He took a deep, calming breath and forced a smile to his face. “Good morning, everyone. I guess you`ve all heard already that the rumours of my death were really just rumours. Unfortunately I had to find that my… replacement didn`t do a good job. We`ll have a lot of catching up to do, so be prepared for homework.” he warned.  
   
Like he`d expected there was a lot of grumbling from the students. Ric smirked and pulled his notes out of his bag, when suddenly someone spoke up from the last row: “Hey Mr. Saltzman, how`s Damon Salvatore in the sack? Didn`t know you were a fag.” Out of the corner of his eye Ric could see Elena stiffen and Caroline grimace. He turned to the boy who had spoken, his calm expression giving nothing away. Dean Fell might be one of the stars of the football team, but aside from that he was only good at making stupid remarks during class.  
   
“I guess you never heard the saying ‘Don`t kiss and tell’, Dean? But of course you haven`t. After all the whole school knows about your… encounters. What did Meghan say again, how long you lasted? About 30 seconds?” the teacher shot back. Dean`s head looked like it was about to explode, while the rest of the class roared with laughter. Alaric turned to the blackboard to hide his own grin. Damon was definitely rubbing off on him.  
   
The rest of class no-one dared to interrupt. Dean was glaring at the teacher the whole time, but he looked about as intimidating as a Chihuahua. Second period went remarkably well, aside from the fact that Ric had to explain five times why he had really been gone. After that Ric decided he needed a cup of coffee and was seriously contemplating putting a shot of bourbon into the cup. In the end he didn`t do it. When he came back into the classroom the students were already seated and looking at him in anticipation.  
   
He saw the reason for that when he turned around and got a look at the blackboard. Someone had written ‘cocsucker’ onto the blackboard. Alaric shook his head in resignation and turned back to the students. “I know that it´s really none of my concern, since I`m not your English-teacher, but cock is written c-o-c-k.” A few students giggled, while others seemed disappointed by his cool reaction. “If you would be so kind to clean the blackboard now, Peter.”  
   
Peter Kane, a pimple-faced dark-haired boy, who`s IQ was about as high as that of a flowerpot in Alaric`s opinion, looked at him in shock. “Why me?” he grumbled. Ric rolled his eyes. „If you want to know what gave you away: It was your chicken scratch in combination with your miserable spelling. And now clean the damn blackboard. We haven`t got all day.” Grumbling the boy complied. „Okay, if no-one else has any stupid questions or comments the rest of you can open your books on page 133. And be prepared for a bunch of homework. We have a lot of catching up to do.” There were a few murmurs, but no-one dared to mouth back openly. Grinning Ric took a sip of his coffee and settled in his chair.  
   
The next few classes went by without incident. There were a few whispers about his relationship, but no-one dared to ask him openly. Obviously the thing with Dean and Peter had gotten around already. Some students even told him how glad they were to have him back. Of course in every new class someone asked him what had really happened. By now there was the rumour that he had testified against some sort of Mafia-Clan and had been put in the witness protection program, but had left it to be with Damon. Someone was certain they had seen him talking to an FBI agent. The students were rather disappointed when he told them he had only been taking care of his parents, while they had been recovering from a car accident.  
   
Still the teacher was glad when it was time for lunch break. He was just packing up his stuff when Damon sauntered into the classroom. The three 15-year old girls who were still lingering behind giggled when they spotted him. He winked at them, which caused all three to blush and hurry out, whispering among themselves. “You`re impossible.” Ric commented, shaking his head with a smile. Damon shrugged and dropped a quick kiss onto his lips. “Maybe. But I`m not the one who taunted a student with the fact that he can`t get it up.”   
   
“I never said that. I said he can only get it up for about 30 seconds. And how do you even know that?” Alaric protested. „Stefan texted me. I asked him to make sure no-one`s giving you a hard time.” the older vampire explained. “You hired your baby brother to play bodyguard for me? Nice to know how much faith you have in my abilities.” Ric commented sarcastically. “Hey, I`m just looking out for you. I know you hate it when people talk behind your back, even if you try to act like you don´t care.”  
   
“Yeah, okay I do.” Alaric admitted a little sheepishly. „But I`m slowly getting used to it. And while I think it`s really sweet of you to look after me, it`s also unnecessary. I think I can manage a couple of stupid football players.” he assured. “Sweet? You shouldn`t spend so much time with vampire Barbie.” Damon grumbled, causing the teacher to laugh. „Maybe. But why are you here? Looking to see if you need to protect me from my students?“  
   
„Nope. I`ve brought your lunch, just like I promised.“ the dark-haired vampire explained and Ric noticed the bag in his hands for the first time. He gave Damon a worried look. He couldn`t really drink from a blood bag in his classroom. The risk of being seen was too high. To his surprise Damon produced a sandwich and a thermos from the bag. “What? You were always complaining how horrible the food at the cafeteria is and I don`t think they cater to your special dietary needs.” the older vampire murmured, opening the thermos.  
   
Alaric was instantly hit by the now familiar smell of blood and had to stifle a grin. Okay, Damon could be subtle if he had to. The teacher mumbled a quick thanks, before devouring his sandwich and taking a sip of the blood. “You`re an angel.” he muttered. The dark-haired vampire smirked and took a sip as well. “Of course I am. And I hope you can appreciate that.” Laughing Alaric pulled him closer for a kiss. „Of course I do.“  
   
Lunch break was over way too soon. Of course Damon had to wait until the very last second, before leaving the classroom, passing the students on his way out. But obviously by now everyone had heard that it wasn`t a good idea to provoke Alaric, because there was some giggling and whispering, but no-one dared to say anything.  
   
The rest of the days classes passed rather uneventfully. Jeremy and Anna were in his last class for the day. Ric noticed absently that they were sitting next to each other and wondered if Anna had compelled someone to make room for her. But as long as they didn`t disturb the class he didn`t really care. And they didn`t disturb. On the contrary. Anna was listening intently and even taking notes.  
   
He praised her for that, when she and Jeremy came to his desk after class and Jeremy told him with a grin that his girlfriend was a total geek. “Oh shut up, or I`m never helping you with homework again.” Anna threatened. Ric wondered if she had been attending high school often over the last decades, but he didn`t dare to ask. He knew almost nothing about her and he didn`t want to anger or upset her by asking stupid questions.  
   
“I`ve got to go. My shift at the Grill starts in about 20 minutes.” Jeremy finally excused himself. “And I`m meeting April in the library.” Anna told the two guys and looked a little surprised that anyone would want to meet her. Ric got the impression that she hadn`t had much friends in her life, but once again he didn`t dare to ask. Instead he said goodbye and left school. Since he didn`t want to force Damon to play chauffeur all the time, he had decided to walk home. He really needed a new car.  
   
###  
   
Damon had returned home after his visit at school, feeling relieved. He had to admit that he`d been a bit worried about Ric. He seemed more affected by all the gossiping than he tried to let on. And Damon knew all too well how vicious teenagers could be. Ric was already scared enough of losing control and attacking someone. And while the dark-haired vampire was pretty sure that this wouldn`t happen, he still thought it couldn’t hurt to be cautious. So he had asked Stefan to keep an eye on the teacher and step in if necessary.  
   
Shortly after first period Stefan had texted his older brother and calmed his worries. Damon could really picture his boyfriend brushing that stupid football player off coolly. Still that hadn`t kept him from visiting Alaric during lunch-break, like he`d promised. Normally the teacher should`ve been able to make it through the day without another blood ration. He always had so far. But Damon wasn`t sure yet, how much blood his boyfriend actually needed. A young vampire usually needed a bit more, but Ric was also an original and Damon had no idea how that affected his need for blood. So he`d decided not to risk anything. And Ric had certainly been happy to see him.  
   
But now he had the whole afternoon ahead of himself and really nothing to do. He was just considering visiting sheriff Forbes, when the doorbell rang. Damon moved to the door quietly and opened it cautiously, ready to duck a possible attack. After all, that weird hunter was still out there somewhere. He breathed a sigh of relief when he found a dark-haired woman on his doorstep instead. “Celia, come in.”  
   
“Were you expecting someone else?” the witch asked. Damon couldn`t help but stare at her for a moment. Celia had always had a talent for showing off her curves and long legs perfectly. She was wearing tight black pants and a dark red velvet shirt, that clung to her curves and highlighted her pale skin. Her long, black locks cascaded down her back and shoulders. “There´s a hunter around here somewhere. I`m not sure if he knows I`m a vampire.” Damon finally answered her question, only now noticing that Celia had brought her twin-brother Colin with her.  
   
Colin always seemed to disappear next to his beautiful sister, despite the fact that he was quite nice to look at as well. He was dressed simply in blue jeans and a grey shirt that was a little too big and made him look gangly. His black hair was ruffled, giving him an almost boyish look. Colin always appeared harmless, while looking at Celia gave Damon goose bumps. He supposed that it was her power, that surrounded her like a dark cloak.  
   
He got the twins settled into a guest room upstairs and made coffee while they freshened up. Afterwards they sat down in the library and Damon told them what they had discovered about Shane`s plans so far. “He wanted to get Klaus to kill those 12 hybrids, but I think we managed to stop that plan.” At least he hoped so. He would need to talk to vampire Barbie about her boyfriend. If wolf-boy didn`t listen to her, Ric would have to compel him again.  
   
“What about the Bennett-witch?” Celia wanted to know. “I don`t know. I stayed away from her, like you asked. She hates me anyway.” Damon said with a shrug. „I`ll visit her.“ Celia promised. „But it would be better if Atticus didn`t know that. It could make him nervous and we shouldn`t underestimate him. He can be very persuasive and we don`t know how much influence he already has over her.” she cautioned.  
   
“I guess Ric and I could distract him for a while.” Damon mused, before posing the question that had been ghosting through his mind for a few days now: “Wouldn`t it be easier if we just killed Shane?” Could save them a lot of trouble. But Celia shook her head. “We don`t know enough about his plans yet. Maybe they`re already in motion and killing him would only make it worse.” Okay, she may have a point there. “I could compel him. Find out what exactly his plans are.“ the vampire suggested. “Shane can`t be compelled.”  
   
“Well, yeah I figured he was on vervaine. We`d have to lock him up until it`s out of his system.” the vampire explained. “He doesn`t need vervaine. He knows enough about the human psyche to be able to withstand compulsion.” Celia told him. Great, that sounded like the Bill Forbes method. Damon seriously hoped that wouldn`t get around. It would really complicate his life. “I like that guy less and less with every minute.”  
   
The discussion went on for a few more minutes. In the end Celia excused herself and went upstairs to look something up in her grimoire. Colin watched her leave and then moved next to Damon on the couch. “I`m worried about her.” he admitted quietly. “She changed since the spell. Her power is growing. I`m afraid she might overestimate herself. Or get caught up even more in expression. That kind of magic can destroy a witch, Damon.“ The vampire frowned. “Why are you telling me this?”  
   
Colin cast a nervous glance towards the stairs, as if he was afraid his sister might hear him. He moved even closer to Damon. “She doesn`t listen to me. I don`t know what to do.” he admitted in a whisper. “She doesn`t listen to me either.” Damon protested. „Could you try talking to her anyway? Maybe it gets her thinking. Please, Damon.“ The warlock looked at him pleadingly and the vampire sighed in resignation. “I can try. But I don`t know what good it`ll do.”  
   
“She always valued you opinion.” Colin claimed. Damon rolled his eyes and was about to answer, when Alaric entered the room. The teacher had long ago given up on knocking. Damon noticed a little surprised how Alaric`s smile turned into a frown when he spied the warlock. For a moment he looked almost angry. Then he flopped down on the couch next to Damon, pulled the older vampire closer and kissed him possessively.  
   
When he pulled back Damon looked at him curiously. Okay, Ric wasn`t as uptight about showing off their relationship anymore, but this was strange. There was something weird going on with the teacher. He put an arm around Damon, before finally turning to Colin, who had moved away and was looking a little embarrassed. “Colin. I thought your sister was coming here.” Damon blinked at his boyfriend and wondered if he had only imagined the challenge in his voice.  
   
“We came both. Celia is upstairs.” Colin explained quietly, not really daring to meet Alaric´s gaze. Celia chose that moment to return to the library. Her eyes swept over the three men and she smiled. “Alaric. I see you`ve adjusted to your new life quickly.” she commented. Damon could feel his boyfriend tense up as the witch came closer. He too could feel the vibes coming from her. “I did. Thanks again.“ Ric replied.  
   
„Good. I`d like to talk to the Bennett-witch now. Find out how much she knows about expression yet and if she trusts Shane.” she decided. “Okay, we`ll try to distract him for a while.” Damon promised, looking at his boyfriend, who nodded in agreement. “He should be at school. The principal allows him to use an office there as long as he`s here.” Ric told the others. “Text me if he leaves the office. I`ll let you know when I`m done with the witch.“ Celia ordered. Damon and Ric agreed and they decided to meet at the boarding house again.  
   
“What was that in there?” Damon asked while he and Ric got into the car. “What was what?” Ric asked back with a puzzled look. „You kissing me like that.“ the older vampire explained, rolling his eyes. “Am I not allowed to greet my boyfriend with a kiss?” Ric shot back. Damon glanced over at him. The teacher seemed irritated and angry and Damon wondered what he had done now. When he left school everything had been okay. Ric had even been smiling when he came in earlier. That had changed once he`d spied Colin.  
   
Damon thought back to the situation and finally realized that he and Colin had been sitting very close. Colin had leaned over to him, had whispered in his ear. Could it be…? “Are you jealous?” Damon asked in disbelief. „What? Don´t be ridiculous.“ Ric growled without looking at him. Damon grinned. “You are jealous. Of Colin.“ Ric crossed his arms, stared out of the window and kept silent.  
   
When Damon parked in front of the school the teacher finally spoke up again. “Did you… sleep with him?” The dark-haired vampire hesitated. „I slept with both of them.“ he finally admitted, turning in his seat to look at his boyfriend. After a few seconds Ric met his eyes. “But that was a long time ago. You have no reason to be jealous.” he assured, before adding with a smirk: “Though I`ve got to say it´s pretty hot when you get all possessive.” Ric rolled his eyes, but had to smile as well. “Sorry. I don`t know what´s gotten into me. But seeing you together on the couch, sitting so close, whispering… I just snapped. I don`t want to share you, Damon.”  
   
“You don`t have to. I`m all yours.“ Damon promised with a smile. Ric leaned over for a quick kiss. „Good to know. But I guess we should visit Shane now. We promised Celia to distract him and I don`t want to break my word to her. That woman gives me the creeps.” he admitted. “Yeah me too. I`m glad she`s an ally.“ Damon agreed.  
   
They entered the school and Ric led him through the corridors to a closed off section near the back entrance. “This part of the school isn`t really in use anymore. A couple of years ago every teacher had his own office back here, but that was too expensive. The school officials thought we could just as well do our paperwork at home or in the classroom or the teacher´s lounge.” he explained. They knocked on the door that had a hand written sign with the name “Professor Shane” taped on and entered without waiting for an invitation.  
   
Shane was surprised to see them. He had a bunch of papers spread over his desk and candles placed all around the office. There was also a teapot on the desk, smelling strongly of herbs. “You again. Are you here to accuse me of mass murder again? Sorry, but I`m really busy. I`ve got an appointment.” the professor explained. „Oh, don`t worry. We won`t be long.“ Damon murmured and sat down in a chair across from the desk. “We`ve only got a few questions.”  
   
“And I don`t have time.” Shane repeated, but the dark-haired vampire ignored him. “So you want to destroy the veil, yeah?” he started. The professor didn`t react. He either was really good at controlling his feelings or he already knew that they were on to him. “Why? Just to get your dead witch-wife back? There are other options to accomplish that. We could even help you with that. Without bringing back all the dead.“  
   
„You have no idea what this is about.” Shane claimed. “Then explain it to us. What is your plan?“ Damon asked nicely. „You won`t understand.“ the professor spat. „You don`t know that.“ the dark-haired vampire shot back. “Is this about Silas? Are you planning to awaken him?” Alaric chimed in. Shane glanced at him and seemed about to answer, but then thought better of it. He crossed his arms and kept his mouth stubbornly shut. “Maybe we should ask with a little more force.” Damon mused, but Ric shook his head. “Not here. Too many possible witnesses.”  
   
Shane´s eyes were darting from one vampire to the other. Slowly he was starting to get worried. “We could bring him to the boarding house. No-one would hear his screams down in the basement.” Damon suggested. Alaric looked like he was contemplating it. “Bonnie would find me. And she would make sure you`re sorry you ever messed with me.“ the professor threatened. The two of them couldn`t tell how serious the threat was. Of course Bonnie would try to help him. The only question was: Could she actually help him? Had her powers already returned?  
   
The beeping of Damon´s cell phone brought their musings to an end. The dark-haired vampire glanced at the display and then held it up for Alaric to read. >The Bennett witch is on her way. Get out of there.< it read. “We`ve got to go. Don`t think your empty threats actually scared us. We`ll continue this some other time.” Damon promised, before leaving the office. Alaric led the way again and they left through the back entrance, so they wouldn`t accidently run into Bonnie.  
   
Celia was already waiting for them back at the boarding house. “She`s very powerful, but most of her powers are blocked right now.” the witch started to explain. “She wasn`t exactly cooperative, so I can`t really tell how much she knows. Expression is hard to learn and even harder to practice. Especially when you don´t know what you`re doing. Shane`s knowledge is very theoretic. He can’t be much of a help.”  
   
“And what does that mean? That she can`t even use it?” Damon prodded. “No. Shen can use expression. Even now. But she can easily overestimate herself and make mistakes. Maybe deadly mistakes. But I`m afraid she won`t believe me. I don`t know how Atticus did it, but his influence on her is huge. She`s practically enslaved by him.” Celia confirmed their worst suspicions.  
   
“Could you stop her if necessary?” Damon wanted to know. The witch hesitated. „As long as her powers are partly blocked, I could. But if Shane succeeds in breaking her out of it… I`m not sure. Like I said, she`s extremely powerful.” Well, this was just getting better and better. “That means we have to act now, before Shane can help her overcome the blockade and get even more control over her.” Alaric mused. Damon nodded and pulled out his cell phone. „I guess that calls for an emergency meeting.“ he murmured, already dialling Stefan`s number. “Come home now. And bring the others. Except Bonnie. We need to talk.“


	15. Chapter 15

About 20 minutes later the bunch of supernatural teenagers had arrived at the boarding house and been introduced to the witches. Only Tyler was missing. “I can`t reach him. He`s not answering his phone and he doesn`t react to my texts.“ Caroline told the others. “Did you at least get him to abandon his stupid hybrid freeing plan?” Damon wanted to know. “I`m not sure.” the blonde admitted. The dark-haired vampire cursed under his breath. Would`ve been too easy. Why couldn`t anything ever go according to plan around here? “I`m going to the Lockwood’s to get Tyler. You try to think up a plan.” Alaric decided. “You sure?” Damon asked. He knew that his boyfriend didn`t want to compel the hybrid again.  But he probably wouldn`t have a choice. “Yeah, don`t worry. I`ll take care of it.“ Ric assured.  
   
Damon nodded and handed him his car keys. “Okay, take the Camaro.” Alaric smiled. He obviously understood the gesture for what it was – prove that Damon trusted him. The dark-haired vampire usually never allowed others to drive his car. Still Ric mused once more that he really needed a new car of his own. Damon`s little Camaro was too flashy for his liking. He missed his truck.   
   
Reaching the Lockwood mansion quickly he rang the doorbell and waited impatiently. Carol looked surprised to see him. “Alaric. Can I help you?“ Ric tried to keep his voice neutral. “I`d like to talk to Tyler for a minute.” The mayor nodded and asked him inside. She led him to the living room and told him to take a seat, while she went to fetch her son. About a minute later she returned with Tyler.  
   
The hybrid gave Alaric a suspicious look, which his mother didn`t miss. “I`ll be in my office if you need me.” she promised, before leaving the guys alone. “Are you here to compel me again?” Tyler asked as soon as she was out of earshot. “Not if I can help it.” the teacher answered truthfully. “Did you abandon your plan to help the other hybrids?” Tyler slumped down on the couch and didn`t answer. Which was answer enough for Ric. “Tyler…” he started, but the hybrid cut him off. “They rely on me. I promised to help them. You don`t know what it`s like, having to do everything Klaus tells you, Mr. Saltzman. What am I supposed to do?”  
   
“Tell them that you will help them. Just not right now. It`s too dangerous right now.” the teacher answered. “Tyler, I can understand that you feel responsible for the other hybrids. But if you continue with your plan, Shane will get what he wants and your friends will die. By helping them break the sire-bond you`re sentencing them to death.” he explained. Tyler still seemed torn. “I`m not asking you to abandon your plan. I just want you to postpone it. Until we know what exactly Shane has planned. Until we can stop him. As soon as this is over, you can help the other hybrids. Okay?”  
   
Both were quiet for a long time. Ric couldn`t tell how long. Finally the hybrid nodded. “Okay.” Ric breathed a sigh of relief. „Good. Will you come with me to the boarding house now? The others are trying to come up with a plan to stop the crazy professor. And we could use your help.” Tyler hesitated. „Okay.“ he murmured again and got up. He called to his mother that he was going out and followed Ric to the door. The teacher had just opened it, when Tyler suddenly muttered: “You could`ve just compelled me. Would`ve been easier for you, right?” Alaric turned to look at him. „Yes, probably. But then I wouldn`t be better than Klaus. And I won`t stoop to his level.“  
   
The hybrid gave him a thoughtful look. “I`m sorry for compelling you yesterday. I didn`t mean to. But you looked like you were about to attack Damon. And I`d do anything to protect Damon.” the teacher said quietly and was just about to turn away when Tyler murmured: “I wouldn`t have bitten him. But I guess it looked like I would, so… apology accepted.” Alaric smiled. “Thanks. And now that we cleared that up, let´s go.“  
   
They left the house and Tyler stopped in surprise when he spied the Camaro. “Damon lent you his car?” he asked stunned. Ric couldn`t hide a grin. „He did. Now come on, get in.“ The hybrid complied a little hesitantly and Ric drove the by now familiar way to the boarding house. “That thing with you and Damon…. it`s real, huh?” Tyler asked after a while. „It is.“ the teacher confirmed. He was waiting for a dumb quote or a snide remark. Tyler Lockwood was after all star of the football team and therefore homophobe by nature. But the hybrid had changed a lot in this past year. Mostly thanks to Caroline. “Okay.” was all he said. For Ric it was good enough.  
   
###  
   
When they entered the boarding house the others were sitting in the library deep in discussion. Damon had obviously suggested just torturing Shane until he talked, because Elena was holding a monologue about the evils of torturing people. She shut up as soon as she spied Ric and Tyler. Damon gave his boyfriend a questioning look. “Tyler promised to postpone his plans until we got rid of Shane. Yes, I believe him and no, I didn`t compel him.” Alaric explained, before anyone could ask.  
   
Damon appeared sceptical, but surprisingly didn`t say anything. “We haven`t really made progress.” he admitted instead. “Shane won`t talk. He can`t be compelled and Elena insist that I can`t ask with a little more… force. So we can only wait, I guess. But it might be a good idea to ally ourselves with Klaus on this one.” he continued. “Klaus? Whose stupid idea was that?” Tyler wanted to know, taking a seat beside Caroline. „It was my idea.“ Stefan spoke up. „Klaus will be interested in keeping Silas where he is. Legend says the guy has a weapon that can kill immortals. That could endanger his life as well.” he pointed out.  
   
“Means we just have to decide who will negotiate with Klaus.” Damon added. As expected no-one volunteered. Hesitantly Caroline offered to do it, but Tyler protested immediately. Ric couldn`t blame him. Klaus was trying really hard to charm the blonde and she didn`t appear to be completely immune to his charms. “Maybe we should do it.” the teacher murmured to his boyfriend. “Yeah, might be better.” Damon agreed.  
   
He let his eyes sweep over the room, until they landed on Colin, who was sitting alone in a corner and looked like was trying to become invisible. “Colin, I want you to talk to Bonnie.” the older Salvatore ordered. The warlock flinched, when suddenly everyone turned to stare at him. The others looked like they had forgotten he was even there. “Why me?” he asked quietly. “Because you know better than anyone else what expression can do to a witch. If there is someone who can show her the dangers, it´s you.” Damon explained, casting a quick glance at Celia, who was lounging on a chair like a pin-up girl.  
   
He didn`t mention that Colin also looked harmless. Celia practically had danger written all over her. And her erotic aura alone was enough to make any woman jealous and suspicious. Her brother on the other hand looked like the cute guy next door, who couldn`t harm a fly. Bonnie would trust him a lot more than his sister. And he feared expression. Maybe he could install some of that fear in Bonnie.  
   
“I can try.” Colin agreed shyly. Damon nodded. „Good. We`ll have a chat with Klaus. If anyone has any brilliant ideas now would be a good time to mention them.” No-one had any ideas, so Damon and Alaric left. Matt and Jeremy left as well, having to start their shifts at the Grill, which would open in about 30 minutes. Tyler accompanied Caroline home.  
   
###  
   
A young woman with flaming red hair opened the door of Klaus mansion and led Damon and Alaric inside. Klaus greeted them with an all too friendly smile. “Look at this. I wouldn`t have thought you`d be so audacious to show up here.“ he muttered. “What can I say.. we were in the area and thought we`d drop by.” Damon answered with a shrug. “You mean, you stopped by to see if I have already found your little surprise. I really wonder what you`re trying to accomplish.”  
   
The two younger vampires looked at each other in puzzlement. “Surprise? What the hell are you talking about?” Damon wanted to know. „What I’m talking about? I`m talking about this.“ Klaus growled and pulled a curtain aside, to reveal some sort of small storeroom. The other two peeked inside and saw two bloody, beheaded corpses. Damon grimaced. “Ewww. What is that?“  
   
„THAT were two of my hybrids. I found them on the porch this morning. Only the bodies. No heads.” Klaus shouted. „And you think that was us? Why the hell should we kill your hybrids?“ Alaric spoke up for the first time. “Yes, what gave me this absurd idea? It`s not like you ever killed any of my hybrids before.” Klaus mocked. „If I want to kill a hybrid, I rip out his heart. I don`t behead him. And I sure as hell don`t keep the head as a trophy.” Damon shot back. “Then it was probably your crazy brother, trying to mess with me again.”  
   
“Stefan is busy teaching Elena. He doesn`t even have time to behead hybrids and put them on your porch.” the older Salvatore spat angrily. “Have you considered the fact that this hunter is still out there somewhere? He´s surely angry at you for locking him up.” Ric reminded. Obviously neither Klaus nor Damon had thought of that. “You`ve got a point there. And he´s certainly crazy enough to keep the heads as souvenir.” the dark-haired vampire mused. “Maybe he`s experimenting with them. Testing weapons.” Alaric suggested.  
   
„You should`ve locked him up better. And what was up with that anyway?” Damon wanted to know. “Since you know about the hunters curse by now I don`t really need to answer that, now do I?” the original murmured back. “That explains why you didn`t kill him, but not why you locked him up and told Stefan he was dead. What was your plan? Keep him locked up until he dies of old age?”  
   
“My plans are none of your concern. You should thank me that I captured the hunter. I could`ve stood by and watched while Stefan killed him and triggered the curse.” Klaus pointed out, before changing the subject. “If you`re not here because of my dead hybrids, what do you want?” Damon swallowed his angry reply and cut straight to the point: “We want to suggest an allegiance.”  
   
The original gave him a mocking look. “An allegiance? Why should I ally myself with you two? What`s in it for me?“ he wanted to know. “The crazy professor, who set the hunter on us, wants to awaken Silas. I`m sure you know all about the legend and the magical weapon that can kill immortals. So you should be just as keen on keeping Silas where he is as we are.”  
   
Klaus didn`t reply, but he looked thoughtful and Ric knew that they had him. Didn`t mean it would really help, but it was at least a start. “Alright. What do you want from me?” Klaus asked finally. „A bit of help with the hunter would be nice for a start. You obviously already had a plan to get rid of him.” Damon answered. “And you shouldn`t kill 12 people in one place. That is exactly what Shane wants.“ Alaric added.  
   
„Ahh, you`re talking about Tyler´s little plan of riling up my hybrids against me.” Klaus muttered. Damon and Ric shared a quick look. The original didn`t miss that. „Yes I know all about that. Tyler´s little friend came by for a visit. She didn`t know where to go, after he had thrown her out. She told me everything. So, don`t worry. I`ll try not to kill 12 people in one place.“ he promised. “Where is Hayley now`?” Ric wanted to know. Klaus shrugged. „How should I  know. In hiding, probably.“  
   
The two younger vampires realized that they wouldn`t get more information. At least Klaus had more or less promised to help. “Let us know if you hear something about the hunter.” Damon ordered, before leaving the mansion. Ric followed him silently, glad that the talk had gone over so well. Klaus seemed to be getting mellower. At least for his standards.  
   
“I would really like to know why he didn`t just let Stefan kill the hunter. It would`ve been easy enough to just wait up and let Stefan trigger the curse.” Damon mused when they drove off. “Well, Klaus might be a dick and an unscrupulous bastard, but even he has feelings. He and Stefan were friends back in the twenties. I guess he still likes your brother.” Alaric answered thoughtfully. Damon snorted. „He´s got a funny way of showing it.“  
   
„You broke my neck when we were already friends.“ Ric reminded and Damon flinched. “You´re right. I was such a bastard. I`m really sorry, Ric.“ he whispered meekly. „Hey, it`s okay. I forgave you a long time ago.“ the teacher assured. “I`m still sorry.” Damon murmured, looking over at his boyfriend, who was smiling now. “I know. You weren`t thinking. I know all about your stupid thoughtless actions. And who knows, maybe I`ll get revenge one day.” The dark-haired vampire smiled as well. He was glad Ric knew him that well and understood him. “You can try. But then you`ll be sleeping on the couch.” he warned. “Like you`d really force me to do that. You`d punish yourself just as much.” Ric shot back with a grin.  
   
###  
   
Upon arriving back at the boarding house Damon and Alaric found a helpless looking Stefan, who was trying in vain to calm Elena and Anna. The two girls were shouting at him and completely ignoring his attempts at getting them to calm down. He looked relieved to see his brother and the teacher. Even more so when the girls instantly rounded on them. “The hunter showed up at the Grill.” Elena cried, before either could pose a question. “He has taken Jeremy, April and Matt hostage.” Anna added. „And Stefan wants us to stay here and do nothing!“ Elena finished nearly hysterical.


	16. Chapter 16

Upon arriving back at the boarding house Damon and Alaric found a helpless looking Stefan, who was trying in vain to calm Elena and Anna. The two girls were shouting at him and completely ignoring his attempts at getting them to calm down. He looked relieved to see his brother and the teacher. Even more so when the girls instantly rounded on them. “The hunter showed up at the Grill.” Elena cried, before either could pose a question. “He has taken Jeremy, April and Matt hostage.” Anna added. „And Stefan wants us to stay here and do nothing!“ Elena finished nearly hysterical.

“I just want to make a plan before rushing head first into danger. That guy is lethal.” Stefan insisted. „April managed to send a text to Anna. He rigged all the doors to a bomb.” he explained. Damon cursed under his breath and started pacing nervously. Damn, they should´ve known the guy was planning something. Why the hell had they waited for him to make his next move? Why hadn`t they tried to find him and stop him?  
   
He took a deep breath and tried to come up with a plan. “We need to get inside. Are you sure that all the doors are blocked?” he asked. Stefan shrugged. “I don`t know for sure. But we can`t risk it.“ Unfortunately he was right about that. They`d have to find another way in. “The tunnels.” Alaric spoke up suddenly. Damon gave him a questioning look and he explained: „There is a wide system of tunnels underneath Mystic Falls. The ones underneath the Lockwood property are just a small part of it. I looked into this after we had discovered the cave. If I remember correctly there should be a tunnel that leads directly to the Grill.”  
   
“Can you find it?” Damon asked, barely refraining from kissing his boyfriend. Who would`ve thought that Alaric`s love for research might be that useful one day? “I`ve got plans that show the whole tunnel system. They`re in my apartment.” The dark-haired vampire was once again glad that he hadn`t been able to throw away Ric`s stuff and had instead continued paying his rent. “Your stuff is still where you left it.” he mumbled and Ric smiled. “Good, then let’s go.”

"And what shall we do?" Stefan wanted to know. Damon thought for a moment and then told his brother: "Call Klaus. He promised to help us with the hunter. Now is the perfect time to remind him of that promise." Stefan nodded, so Ric and Damon drove to the teacher`s apartment. 

Alaric searched through two drawers until he found what he was looking for. Absently he thought that he should really learn to be more organized. He couldn`t even remember that he still had vervain here. Luckily Damon didn`t see him flinch when he burned his hands upon accidently touching it. Maybe it was time to clean out the apartment. It was the first time that he was even here since his resurrection and two homes were more than enough.  
   
Finally he returned with the map in hand. He spread it over his desk and they both looked at it. “Okay, that`s the tunnel I was talking about. If we go down here close to the Lockwood property we only need to follow that tunnel. I guess the exit is in the storage room of the Grill.” Alaric explained. “Okay, that should work.“ Damon agreed. „That brings us in. But once inside comes the tricky part. We can`t kill the guy.“ he reminded. 

"Call your brother. Maybe Klaus had an idea." Alaric suggested. Damon did as told, but Stefan had bad news for them. "Klaus won`t help. He doesn`t care about the hostages. He just reminded me not to kill the guy and then hung up." Damon cursed under his breath. Typical of the original to bail when they needed him. „We could just knock him out.“ Elena suggested. „Too risky. If you hit him too hard he might die.” Damon declined.  
   
“We could ask Meredith for a sedative. If we get close enough we could put him to sleep for a while.” the teacher suggested. Damon didn`t like the thought of asking Alaric`s ex for help. But he had to admit that it was the best option they had. “But the hunter is supernatural. What if it doesn`t work on him?” Stefan argued. „And if we dose him too high he might die.“ Elena agreed. “Then we`ll have to find a dose that will surely knock him out, but won´t kill him.” Ric decided. “We just have to knock him out for a short while.”  
   
The others agreed hesitantly. It was still the best way of stopping the guy without killing him. And they needed to be quick about this. Alaric called Meredith and explained quickly what had happened and what they needed, while Damon called sheriff Forbes. Liz already knew about the hostages and had put squad cars blocking the streets. “The official reason is a faulty gas main. That should buy us some time.” she murmured. The vampire told her about their plan and promised to keep her up to date.  
   
About five minutes later Alaric and Damon headed to the hospital, while Stefan and the girls went to the Lockwood property to wait at the entrance to the tunnels. Meredith had already prepared two syringes with a strong sedative. “That should knock him out, but it won´t kill him.” she promised. “But I can`t tell you how long he`ll be out of it. So be careful.” Ric thanked her and Damon pocketed the syringes. Ten minutes later they reached the entrance to the tunnels.  
   
“Okay, Ric, Stefan and I will go in…” Damon started, but Elena and Anna interrupted him and protested that they wouldn`t be sitting around while Jeremy was in danger. “The hunter doesn`t know that I`m a vampire. I could distract him.” Elena suggested. „You think he doesn`t know. We don`t know how much Bonnie has told professor creepy and how much he has told his hunter buddy. Maybe he already knows about all of us.” Damon reminded her.  
   
“Exactly. That means if anyone will get in the line of fire to distract him it`ll be me.” Alaric decided, earning himself a protest from Damon. “I`m an original, Damon. Which means I`m hardest to kill.“ the teacher pointed out. “You`re a baby-original. And we don`t even know what can kill you.” the dark-haired vampire argued. “You won`t get in the line of fire. End of story.” He had just gotten Ric back. He wouldn`t risk losing him again.

"That`s not your decision to make." Ric argued. „If we could draw his attention outside we could get the hostages out without anyone having to get in the line of fire.” Stefan intervened, before they could start an argument. “We`d have to be quick, but we really only need to get them into the storage room. Than we could bar the door from the inside and be gone before he gets it open.” That sounded rather vague. It would be a gamble, but as long as it meant Ric would be kept safe, Damon was all for it. “Okay, that means someone has to draw his attention to the outside. Which means we can`t all go in.” the older Salvatore muttered.  
   
No-one wanted to be left behind, so after about five minutes of discussion Alaric suggested just tossing a coin. “Head means you go in.” he decided, handing everyone a coin. Damon, Alaric and Anna got to go inside, Stefan and Elena had tails and would therefore stay outside. “Okay, try to get his attention without going too close. Don`t risk anything. We`ll get the hostages out.” the teacher ordered. Elena promised to call in Tyler and Caroline for help, before running back to her car with Stefan.  
   
The other three headed down into the tunnel that would lead them to the Mystic Grill. Alaric led the way, since he`d studied the plans before and knew where to go. His heart was hammering like crazy while they ran along the dark, narrow pathways. Luck was on their side and they found the right exit quickly. But upon reaching it their luck ceased. The exit had been shut. They found themselves facing a solid brick wall. Damon and Ric shared a quick look. “I hope that guy doesn`t have super-hearing as well.” the dark-haired vampire mumbled. Both grabbed their flashlights and started beating down the wall with them. It took only seconds to make an opening that was big enough for one man to squeeze through. Before Damon could protest Ric had already climbed through the opening.  
   
Just like expected he found himself in the Mystic Grill storage room. Carefully he pushed a cupboard aside and climbed out, listening with baited breath. He could hear voices from the guest room, but no-one was nearing the door. They were lucky. After Damon and Anna had followed him he snuck to the door and opened it a crack. Matt and April were sitting at a table. The hunter had his back turned to the storage room and was sprouting some nonsense about pastor Young. Jeremy stood facing him, his arms crossed, his face set in a frown.  
   
Ric could tell the exact moment Jeremy saw him, even if the teenager luckily gave no indication that he´d noticed anything. He stood stock still, but his eyes widened for just a second and his heart-rate sped up. Ric motioned for him to come to the storage room and hoped that Jeremy understood. Damon sent a text to his brother to let him know that they were in.  
   
Seconds later Elena`s shrill voice could be heard from the street. “Let go of me. I have to get inside. My brother`s in there. Jeremy!” Ric risked a glance at Damon, who shrugged in response. Either Elena´s feelings were getting the better of her again or she was putting on one hell of a show. Alaric sincerely hoped it was the latter. Either way it was enough to lure the hunter to the window. Jeremy didn`t waste any time. He shooed April and Matt towards the storage room with hectic movements. Matt understood immediately, grabbed April´s hand and ran. Jeremy was about to follow them, when the hunter suddenly turned around and grabbed his arm.  
   
Matt and April made it through the door just in time. Holding Jeremy`s arm with one hand, the hunter pulled out a pistol with the other and immediately started firing. Long wooden bullets embedded themselves in the wall and the shelves of the storage room, but luckily no-one got hit. Anna handed her flashlight over to April and pushed her towards the entrance to the tunnels. “Get down there and follow the tunnel.” she ordered. Matt and April didn`t protest and quickly did as she told. In front of the Grill Elena was still screaming bloody murder. The hunter laughed.  
   
“I`ve got to admit, you`re better than I thought. I didn`t know about a secret entrance. But that won`t help you. I`ll kill each and every one of you.” he threatened. “Shut up and give us the kid. Maybe I`ll let you live.” Damon shouted back. The answer was another barrage of wooden bullets and the order to: „If you want him, come and get him.” Damon was about to formulate an angry reply, when Jeremy suddenly shouted: “Get down! Vervaine!”.  
   
Damon reacted quickly and slammed the door shut. They could hear the splintering sound as something made of glass smashed against it and smell the vervaine even through the closed door, making their eyes water. For a moment all three vampires remained motionless. Then Jeremy`s voice cut through the silence. He screamed Ric`s name, his voice breaking in terror. Without thinking Alaric opened the door and ran into the main room, followed closely by Anna.  
   
There was no sign of the hunter. “He chained me to the bar. Help me. Quick.” Jeremy shouted. Ric and Anna ran to help him, while Damon looked around to make sure the hunter really was gone. “Hurry.” Jeremy pleaded and Ric finally noticed the strange object that was strapped to the bar. It was a small box with lots of cables in different colours attached to its centre and a timer that was quickly running out. The hunter had set up a bomb and they had only 30 seconds left until it would detonate. Ric grabbed the handcuffs that held Jeremy to the bar, but jerked back in pain. They were drenched in vervaine.  
   
He could see the fear in Jeremy`s eyes, hear his thundering heartbeat and knew that they`d never make it out of there in time. He felt paralyzed with fear. Suddenly Anna grabbed one of the cables and ripped it off. The timer stopped at 11 seconds. For a few seconds no-one said a word. All four of them were barely breathing. Then all eyes turned to Anna, who simply shrugged and muttered: “I once saw that on TV.”  
   
Alaric laughed nearly hysterical. Jeremy breathed an audible sigh of relief and sagged against Anna, who had moved behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. Ric took a napkin, wrapped it around the handcuffs and ripped them off. “Let’s get out of here.” The others nodded. „The hunter escaped through the back door.“ Jeremy mumbled. „Looks like he only blocked the front door.“  
   
They had almost reached the door when they heard a shot being fired outside, shortly followed by three more. Damon and Ric hurried out onto the street, where they stopped in surprise. The hunter was lying unmoving on the pavement. A few feet away they spied sheriff Forbes, gun still in hand. Slowly she lowered the weapon. Alaric went over to the fallen hunter and made sure that he was really dead. But there was no doubt about it. He could hear no heart-beat. Liz had shot him once in the head and twice in the chest. “He shot Caroline.” she whispered brokenly and finally dropped her gun.  
   
A second later Caroline was pushing her way past Ric, to get to her mother. The teacher breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that she wasn`t badly hurt. Blood stained her shirt, but she didn`t even seem to notice. Liz sobbed and pulled her daughter into her arms. “It`s okay, mom. He just hit my shoulder. Doesn`t even hurt.“ the blonde vampire assured.   
   
Alaric moved a few steps away to give mother and daughter some privacy. Tyler on the other hand stayed close to Caroline. He looked shaken up and like he wanted to start crying as well. A few feet away Jeremy was complaining that Elena would squash him if she continued hugging him so tight. Ric put both arms around Damon and pulled him against his chest. Strangely enough the dark-haired vampire didn`t comment and instead leaned against him. They had just narrowly escaped death after all.  
   
Once everyone had calmed somewhat and they had repeatedly assured Elena that Matt and April had safely made it out, Damon informed the sheriff about the bombs still inside the Grill. Liz called for a specialist to remove them safely. A few minutes later Matt called Elena to let her know that he and April were at the Lockwood´s and that Mrs. Lockwood would drive them home. Elena told him what had happened after their escape and finally calmed down, now she was certain that all of her friends were safe.  
   
Damon sent his brother, Elena, Anna and Jeremy home. Tyler drove Caroline home, after promising her mother that he would take care of her, despite Caroline´s protest that she was fine. Alaric and Damon stayed back with the sheriff. The bombs were removed quickly and the specialist did a quick sweep of the Grill to make sure there were no other hidden surprises. While they were still searching the Grill, Meredith showed up, to confirm the death of the hunter and take him to the morgue. About an hour later Damon and Ric finally made it home as well.  
   
Back at the boarding house they poured two large glasses of bourbon and settled down in front of the fireplace. “We were lucky.” Alaric murmured after a while. Damon just nodded and cuddled against his side. „Are you alright?“ Ric asked concerned. Damon had been strangely silent the whole time. „When Jeremy shouted your name and you just ran out of the storage room like that…“ Damon whispered, sitting up and looking at the teacher solemnly. “You could`ve ran straight into a trap. Don`t ever do something like that again!” he ordered sharply and Ric realized for the first time that Damon had been scared he might get hurt.  
   
He pulled the older vampire closer and kissed his temple. “I can`t promise that. You know that. When it comes to protecting those we love we do stupid things. You just as often as me.” Damon nodded. „I know. And I know you`re an original. But you`re not invincible.“ he pointed out, even though they actually didn`t know what could kill Ric. The teacher gently stroked his back. “I`ll try to stay out of danger as much as possible, okay? If you promise to do the same.” he murmured. Damon nodded. „Sounds fair.“  
   
Now that the adrenalin was wearing off Alaric realized how tired he was. It had been a long day and all the stress had tired him. “Let’s go to bed.” he decided. Damon followed him wordlessly up the stairs, where they undressed and cuddled into bed together, both falling asleep within minutes.


	17. Chapter 17

The next day was hectic. Alaric got up too late, after bantering with Damon for a few minutes, who tried to talk him into calling in sick. The kids had all spent the night at the Gilbert home and there was no trace of the witches. The teacher was glad for it. After a quick shower he decided to skip shaving and instead pulled his clothes on. After grabbing his notes for the day he quickly emptied a blood bag and was almost at the door when he remembered that he didn`t have a car. “Fuck. Damon, could you…?”  
   
To his surprise Damon was already standing at the door, fully dressed, perfectly shaved and with the trademark smirk plastered over his lips. “I`ll drive you.” he promised. Alaric thanked him and once again decided to get a new car as soon as possible. Since his old one had officially been stolen and crashed he hoped that his insurance might pay for a new one. He wouldn`t be able to afford a good car from his teachers salary and his few savings.  
   
Once he opened the door however all thoughts of cars and money were immediately forgotten. Caroline was standing in front of the door, seemingly debating with herself whether or not she should knock. She was trembling and it looked like she had been crying. “That guy… he shot me, remember?” she stammered. “That… that should`ve healed by now, right?” Damon frowned. „It should`ve been healed last night. Even if the bullet had been soaked in vervaine.“ Caroline bit her lip and pulled her shirt down a little. Just beneath her right shoulder was an ugly, bloody wound. Blue veins criss-crossed from the wound down to her breast.  
   
Alaric felt like he had been punched in the stomach. He had seen a wound like that once before. There was only one thing that could cause such an injury. “Werewolf-poison.” Damon muttered, having come to the same conclusion. Caroline whimpered in fear. The two men shared a quick look and came to an unspoken agreement. “Don`t worry, you`re going to be okay. We`ll bring you to Klaus.” Ric promised, putting an arm around the blonde. They packed her into the car and drove to Klaus mansion.  
   
The hybrid didn`t look happy to see them. “What do you want now?” he grumbled, but shut up as soon as he noticed Caroline. Damon wordlessly pulled her shirt aside so Klaus could see the wound. The hybrid´s eyes widened in shock. Without hesitation he bit into his own wrist and put it against Caroline`s lips, gently stroking her hair with his free hand while she drank from him. Alaric watched him closely. It looked like the original hybrid really cared for the blonde. “Who did this to her?” Klaus asked when she had pulled away, his voice vibrating with anger.  
   
“The hunter shot her. Looks like he soaked the bullets in werewolf-poison.” Damon explained and Alaric added: „That would explain why he kept the heads of your hybrids.“ So he was right when he mused that the guy had used them to experiment. He had obviously found a way to extract the poison and use it as a weapon.  
   
Klaus looked like he wanted to rip someone’s head off. “He´s dead. My mom killed him.” Caroline whispered. She didn`t seem bothered by the fact that Klaus had now wrapped both arms around her and was still petting her hair. “Since she´s human the curse shouldn`t affect her, right?” Damon asked. The original shrugged. „If she`s not hallucinating already she`s safe.“ he mumbled. “She was behaving like always earlier.” Caroline whispered, casting a pleading look at Damon. “I`ll check on her.” the dark-haired vampire promised.  
   
“Caroline should get some rest. I`ll get her settled in one of my guest rooms.” Klaus decided. “We can take you home if you want.” Alaric offered, looking at the blonde. She hesitated for a moment and he could practically see her waging an internal battle with herself. „I`ll stay here.“ she decided timidly. „You need to get to school. But maybe you could tell Tyler that… I`m okay and not to worry? I sent him away earlier and promised I`d meet him at school. I didn`t tell him about… I didn`t want him to worry.”  
   
“I will take very good care of her.” Klaus promised and strangely enough Alaric believed him. Damon didn`t look thrilled by the idea, but he didn`t protest when Ric gave him a little shove in the direction of the door. “I`ll tell Tyler you`re getting some more rest and not to worry.” he promised, dragging his boyfriend outside. “Do you think that`s a good idea?” Damon asked once they had gotten into the car. “I don`t know. But it’s her decision. And he`ll look after her. He`s completely taken with her, haven`t you noticed?” The dark-haired vampire snorted. “If you say so. And what are you going to tell little Lockwood? Once he hears that we left his girlfriend alone with Klaus, he`s going to rush to her rescue.” he pointed out.  
   
Of course Alaric knew that. Tyler wouldn`t simply accept that Caroline wouldn`t come to school today. He would want to check on her. Which left the teacher with only one option. He had to do what he had sworn himself he`d never do again. To protect Tyler. Because Klaus might be completely taken with Caroline, but that wouldn`t stop him from killing Tyler if the hybrid should try to attack him. After all he would get rid of his competition and he could even say he was only defending himself.  
   
“I`m not going to tell him she´s with Klaus.” the teacher decided. Damon gave him a knowing look, but didn`t say anything. When they reached the school he gave Ric a kiss goodbye and told him to call should he need anything, before continuing towards the sheriff`s office.  
   
Alaric entered the school about five minutes after lessons had started and immediately ran into Tyler, who was pacing the hallway nervously. “Mr. Saltzman, have you seen Caroline?” the hybrid asked immediately. “She wanted to meet me at school, but she`s not here yet and she`s not answering her phone.” The teacher swallowed hard, hating what he was about to do. But it was better this way. He looked directly into Tyler´s eyes. “Caroline is resting at home. You have no reason to worry. She`s going to be alright. You`ll see her after school.“ he stated calmly. Tyler nodded. „I`ll see her after school.“ he repeated in a monotone voice.  
   
Alaric looked away, breaking the compulsion. “You should hurry up. Lessons have already started.” he urged. “I could say the same to you.” Tyler replied cheekily, before heading for his classroom. Ric watched him go with an uneasy feeling. But he hadn`t had a choice here, he reasoned. Sighing in resignation he headed towards his own classroom, trying to think up an excuse why he was almost 15 minutes late.  
   
###  
   
Meanwhile Damon had reached the sheriff´s office, where he found Liz at her desk, bend over a stack of papers. “The dreaded paperwork. That`s why I usually try not to shoot anyone.” she joked half-heartedly. She looked tired and stressed. “How are you feeling?” Damon asked warily. „I`m okay. Don´t worry. Not the first time I shot someone.“ Liz murmured, signing another protocol. “But the first time you shot a supernatural hunter.” the vampire pointed out. It took her a moment to understand the implication. “You`re talking about that curse.”  
   
“The dreaded hunters curse, yeah. So, any hallucinations or weird experiences? Seen your dead grandma or your dead gay ex-husband?” he prodded. “No, nothing like that. Just the usual, daily madness of Mystic Falls.” Liz assured. „Good. Then you should be safe. Klaus thinks if you`re not hallucinating by now the curse won´t affect you.” Damon was a little surprised at how glad he felt. He really liked the sheriff, he had to admit. She had become a friend.  
   
“You talked to Klaus?” Liz asked in surprise, taking another piece of paper. Damon hesitated, but then decided to tell her everything. “About 20 minutes ago. Listen, Liz… that hunter managed to kill a few hybrids and extract the werewolf-poison. He soaked bullets in it. The bullets he shot Caroline with.” Liz nodded absently, only half-listening. Suddenly she looked up in alarm. Her face was pale. “Does that mean…?”  
   
“She`s okay, don`t worry. We took her to Klaus and he healed her. She`s resting a bit more, but it`s really okay.” the vampire assured and Liz breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank god. But why didn`t she tell me? I checked on her before leaving for work and she said she was fine.“ Damon resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “You know your daughter. She didn`t want you to worry. She didn`t tell Tyler either. And then she showed up on my doorstep.“  
   
„Thank you, Damon. I`m really grateful for all the things you do for my daughter. You helped her a lot since she… changed.” Liz murmured with a smile. „That was mostly Stefan.“ the vampire argued, but she wouldn`t be swayed. “Don´t play it down. Caroline and I are actually talking nowadays. I know that you`ve done a lot for her.” the sheriff insisted. Damon felt uncomfortable with the praise. He had also done a lot of evil things to Blondie. Liz seemed to sense his discomfort and changed the topic. “By the way, we know who the hunter was. He actually had a driver’s license in his pocket.”  
   
“Connor Jordan.” Damon read, once she had handed him the license. „We`re lucky. He has quite a track record. He was even accused of murder once. But they couldn`t prove it, so he got free. That makes our story that he snapped and attacked helpless teenagers sound believable. And me shooting him absolutely justified.” Liz explained. „Great. That means you just have to get through the paperwork and that´s it, right?”  
   
“Pretty much, yeah. I`ll need a few reports from eye witnesses to confirm my story. Maybe you could make a statement as well. Nothing much. Just that you´ve seen him with a gun and that he was attacking people.“ the sheriff asked. “Yeah, sure. No problem.” Damon agreed. „And there`s one more thing. Connor Jordan owns a trailer. I guess it´s hidden around here somewhere and I would be really grateful if you could go looking for it. I`ll have to set a few deputies on it eventually, but I can postpone it until tonight. It would be easier if you found it. I wouldn´t have to fake so many reports.”  
   
Yes, beheaded hybrids and stuff like that would probably look strange in a police report. “I`ll see what I can do.” Damon promised. „Thank you. Dr. Fell will do the autopsy later today and then we can hopefully close that case.” Liz murmured. She went back to her paperwork and Damon went in search of a deputy to make his statement, before heading home.  
   
###

Back at the boarding house Celia and Colin were already waiting for him. They had heard about the death of the hunter and wanted to know details. Damon told them everything that happened. Colin promised to talk to Bonnie today after school, so Damon decided to set Celia on finding the trailer. “That shouldn´t be a problem. The spell is easy. But I`ll need some personal item.“ the witch explained. “I didn`t take a souvenir. But he`s in the morgue. Guess his stuff should be there as well.“ the vampire muttered. “Could I get access to the corpse? That would work even better.”  
   
Damon thought about it for a second. “Ask for Dr. Meredith Fell. Tell her Alaric sent you. Then it shouldn`t be a problem.” Meredith would surely be a lot more cooperative if the witch gave her Ric´s name. She and Damon had never really gotten along and he was pretty sure she hated him now, for stealing Ric away.  
   
The two witches left, so Damon decided to relax a bit. After all the trouble yesterday a quiet morning sounded really good. He grabbed a book and leaned back on the couch, but it didn`t take long until he was disturbed. Around noon Caroline showed up and flopped down on the couch beside him. “Feeling better?” Damon asked, glancing at her over the rim of his book. “Yeah, it’s all healed up.” she confirmed, pulling her shirt aside to prove it. “You`re mom`s fine. Just a little mad that you didn´t tell her.” the dark-haired vampire let her know and Caroline breathed a sigh of relief, before thanking him for checking on Liz. Damon nodded and went back to his book, hoping she would leave if he just ignored her.  
   
“Is it bad that I … kinda like him?” The older Salvatore put down the book and looked at her with raised eyebrows. “Klaus. I mean he`s… he´s a monster. I know what he did. What he did to my friends. But still… he can be nice, sometimes.“ she explained. Damon waited for her to continue, but she didn’t. He was just about to pick up his book again, when she suddenly muttered: “I love Tyler. I want to be with Tyler. But.. somehow I feel… drawn to Klaus as well.“  
   
„Why are you telling me?“ Damon asked uncomprehendingly. “Because there`s no-one else I can ask for advice. Bonnie is totally weird right now, thanks to Shane and Elena`s got her own problems. Aside from the fact that no-one would understand it. I don`t even understand it myself.” With a sigh Damon put the book away. She wouldn`t shut up anyway. „Okay, so you feel guilty because you`ve got the hots for the guy who killed your best friend´s aunt and enslaved your boyfriend, yeah?”  
   
“Do you have to put it so drastic?” the blonde protested. “You do know who you`re talking to, right?” Damon snarked. “It won`t hurt your big bad vampire reputation to be nice for a change. And can you please quit the sarcasm?” Caroline asked. Damon rolled his eyes. „Okay, fine. So what`s your problem here?“ Maybe they could get it over with quickly. “I don`t want to hurt Tyler. I don`t want to feel drawn to Klaus. I want to hate him, like you all do.“  
   
„You can`t change what you feel.“ Damon remarked not exactly helpful. “And what am I supposed to do?” the blonde whined. She was really starting to grate on his nerves. “If you feel drawn to Klaus then go and have sex with him. Get it out of your system.” the dark-haired vampire suggested. “I can`t have sex with Klaus! I`m dating Tyler.” Caroline protested immediately. „Then find out who you really want. And stick to your choice.“ Damon ordered. „All this uncertainty will only cause more chaos. And guys hate being led on. Believe me, I know what I`m talking about.” Elena had played that little game with him and Stefan long enough, before he finally realized that he didn`t really want the brunette.  
   
“I`m in love with Tyler. I don`t want to hurt him.” Caroline murmured. “That’s not what this is about. If he plays his cards right he`s got a really long life ahead of him. Probably won`t be the last time he gets his heart broken. You can`t chose him, just because you don’t want to hurt him. You`ve got to decide what you want. Who you want. No matter the consequences or what the others think. Klaus is head over heels for you as well. You`re going to hurt someone, if you like it or not.”  
   
“You really think Klaus likes me?” she prodded. Great, this was turning into a real girl talk. In a few minutes she would probably ask him to braid her hair or expect him to giggle and tell her what he and Ric did in his bedroom. He should`ve just thrown her out. “If he didn`t we wouldn`t have left you alone with him today. So is this going somewhere? I´ve got better things to do than listening to you whine all day.” he grumbled. Caroline was silent for long moments. “Klaus is charming. I like the way he talks to me and how he tries to impress me. But I`m in love with Tyler. I want to be with Tyler.” she finally decided. „Great. Tell them and that´s that then.“  
   
Since it also meant that this talk was finally over, Damon picked up his book and reclined back against the couch. Caroline got up and he thought she would finally leave, but only about a minute later she returned, cuddling against his side. A glance told him that she had gotten a book as well. “What do you think you`re doing?” he asked completely puzzled. “I don`t want to go home, yet. Mom`s still working and the others are at school. I`m not going to disturb you.” she assured. “You are disturbing me!” the dark-haired vampire protested with a frown. “Oh come on, don`t be like that. You just proved that you can be really nice, if you want to. I just want some company.”  
   
“It`s a big couch. Sit over there.“ he ordered. But Caroline only smiled and leaned against him. “This is more comfortable. And now stop being a dick. I just want someone to lean on.“ Damon rolled his eyes in annoyance. “Just because I listened to your problems and I`m now dating a guy doesn`t mean I`m gay. You of all people should know that I`m definitely not gay.” Really, he`d slept with her more than once. She should remember.  
   
The blonde however was really persistent. “What`s that got to do with anything? We`re friends now, are we not? I`ve always wanted a big brother, you know?” she told him. “Good for you. Want me to ask Liz if she wants to adopt Stefan?” Damon snarked. Unfortunately Caroline seemed immune to his sarcasm. She just smiled and opened her book. Damon wondered if it would be enough to kick her off the couch or if he should break her neck for good measure...


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter got longer than I anticipated. I was thinking about splitting it at first, but then decided against it. The next one will be rather short however. And the story is slowly drawing to a close.

Anna was pacing in the hallway, casting nervous glances at the clock every few minutes. She inwardly cursed herself for not choosing the exact same schedule as Jeremy. When the school`s secretary had told her that there were no more free seats in the art class and that she could only attend Spanish lessons in the afternoon she hadn`t thought much of it. She had no talent for drawing anyways and she preferred French to Spanish. And back then it hadn`t mattered that they would have separate lessons twice a week.  
   
But now it mattered. After yesterday`s events she was loathe to let Jeremy out of her sight. Even for a few minutes. Therefore she had spent her free period patrolling the hallway in front of Jeremy`s art class. Of course she knew that it was stupid. The hunter was dead and couldn`t hurt her boyfriend anymore. And Bonnie was more likely a danger to herself than to Jeremy. Still she couldn`t shake the worry.  
   
She breathed a sigh of relief when the bell finally signalled the end of the lesson. Anna leaned against the wall across from the class room and watched the students filing out, talking and laughing. She spotted Tyler, who greeted her with a nod and nodded back. She hadn`t really had any dealings with the hybrid so far, but she knew that he and Jeremy were something like friends.  
   
Finally the Gilbert boy exited the class room. He spotted her immediately and quickly made his way over. “Hey there, are you waiting for me?” he asked, after greeting her with a kiss. “Of course I am.” she answered. He could obviously guess her thoughts, because he put his arm around her and steered her towards his locker. “You worry too much. No-one`s going to attack me during class.” Anna sighed. „I know. I just can`t help it. Whenever I close my eyes I see you chained up in the Grill.“  
   
“Yesterday was bad and I guess we´ll need some time to get over it. But you saved me. Never forget that.” Jeremy reminded her. “We should`ve taken Alaric up on his offer and stayed home today.” the female vampire muttered. The teacher had offered to excuse them from lessons today. He probably wouldn`t even have had to compel someone.  
   
“I won`t start hiding away just because some lunatic held me hostage. Truth be told, I`ve had worse days.” Jeremy claimed. Anna gave him a doubtful look. „What, you want a list?“ he asked, only half-joking and started ticking off facts before she could react: „Let`s see… I fell in love with a gorgeous vampire, who was just using me at first…” Anna started to protest, but he put a finger to her lips and continued:  
   
“After you had… gotten killed, I drank your blood and tried to kill myself with my sisters leftover painkillers. Then Damon broke my neck and the Gilbert ring revived me. Sheriff Forbes shot me by accident and Katherine drained me. I was repeatedly compelled, taken hostage and used as leverage against my sister. So I`d say yesterday was nothing out of the ordinary. Granted, no-one tried to blow me up before.”  
   
Anna shook her head and had to smile despite herself. “You`re mental, you know that?” she asked rhetorically. “Of course I`m mental. I`m a Gilbert. It runs in the family.“ Jeremy told her joyfully. The vampire laughed, pulled him down and kissed him. “Guess I should be glad, too. If you weren`t a little insane you probably wouldn`t be dating me.” she mused. “See, there`s a positive in everything.” he agreed with a grin.  
   
They got their books from the lockers and went to Alaric`s classroom. During the lesson Jeremy noticed his guardian giving him worried looks. Obviously Anna wasn`t the only one still affected by yesterday´s events. Still the lesson was over in no time. Alaric had always managed to make history sound interesting. While the other students filed out of the room at the end of the lesson, Jeremy and Anna went to the teacher`s desk.  
   
“You two okay?” Alaric asked. „Yeah, fine. Anna´s just being a bit paranoid, but apart from that…“ Jeremy joked, earning himself a punch on the arm that had him flinching. Anna hadn`t used all of her considerable strength, but she hadn`t held back either. That would leave a bruise. Ric smiled knowingly and Jeremy wondered if Damon had given him hell last night or if Damon was even patrolling somewhere outside, trying to look after his boyfriend. He wouldn`t put it past him.  
   
“And what about you?” he asked his guardian. “I`m good. Should be used to the chaos that`s Mystic Falls by now, shouldn`t I?” the teacher asked sarcastically. Jeremy could only agree. At least it never got boring around here. They probably wouldn`t even know what to do with their time if there weren`t someone out to get them every few weeks.  
   
“So.. got any plans for today?” Ric wanted to know. “Not really. I have a shift at the Grill later and Anna`s tagging along.“ Jeremy told him vaguely. Ric would know that Anna wanted to look after him anyways. “Okay, I guess you better get going then. You wouldn`t want to miss last period.” the teacher finally ended their talk. “Yeah, see you later.” Jeremy agreed, although he wouldn`t have minded missing last period.  
    
###  
   
Meanwhile Colin was sitting on a bench outside, trying to look subtle, while he was watching the school. Luckily no-one paid him much attention. He had always had the ability to blend in with his surroundings, almost becoming invisible in the process. He thought it was easy, considering that he never drew much attention to himself anyways. Even in school he had been easily overlooked.

Unlike his twin-sister. Celia was breathtakingly beautiful and drew stares wherever she went. As soon as she would enter a room, everyone`s attention would be focused on her. It had always been like this. Even before she had gotten tangled up in expression, he had felt helpless and invisible next to her. His powers were nothing compared to hers. He had always lived in her shadow. 

That had started when they had been kids. Celia`s powers had manifested a lot earlier than his own, so their mother had always paid a little more attention to her. Celia had always gotten her praise, while Colin was often overlooked. But he never minded. He loved his sister unconditionally and would do anything for her.  
   
If only he could find a way to make her quit expression. The more powerful she got, the more he worried about her. He was so scared she might one day die because of it. But no matter what he said or did, she wouldn`t listen. He knew that his sister loved him as well, but she had never taken orders from anyone. She answered only to herself. She was independent and needed no-one. But he would always need her. Without his sister he felt lost.

Which made him hate this task all the more. What should he tell the girl? How should he accomplish with a complete stranger, what he had never accomplished with his own twin? But when Damon had asked him to do this he just hadn`t been able to say no. He owed the vampire his life. If Damon hadn´t given him his blood on that fateful night many years ago, he would`ve died from the injuries inflicted by his ex-boyfriend Ethan. He had been a fool to fall for Ethan in the first place. But the guy had seemed so nice and he was so cute and always complimenting him. Something Colin hadn`t been used to.

Celia had been furious when she`d found out what had happened. How Ethan had beaten him up. She had killed Ethan. Murdered him in cold blood. Colin hadn`t wanted to believe it. Hadn`t wanted to believe her capable of murder. But all the evidence had pointed towards her and she had even confessed the truth to him. 

And once again Damon had been their saviour. He had compelled the police, made sure the evidence got lost somehow and saved Celia from prison. Yes, he owed Damon. Probably more than the vampire himself would ever realize. Damon had helped him a lot more back then. He had told him to forget about Ethan, since the guy was obviously a dick who didn´t deserve him. He had been there for Colin, talked to him and made him laugh. Damon had taken notice of him, even when Celia was around.

Maybe it had been tragic, to start an affair with Damon. After all, Colin had known that Damon was also bedding his sister. Damon had never kept it secret that he fancied both of them. But maybe Colin had needed this honesty. Damon had never claimed that it was something it wasn`t. Colin had always known that it was just a little fun for the vampire, nothing more. Certainly not love. And when the vampire had finally disappered again, Colin had watched him go with a smile.

The bell signalling the end of today`s lessons startled the warlock out of his thoughts. He swallowed hard when he spotted the dark-skinned girl, he was here to see. The other students gave her a wide berth, almost like they could feel the dark vibes coming from her. Colin could feel them as well, despite the fact that she was quite a few feet away. He could see the darkness surrounding her, even if said darkness wasn`t as strong as the one always surrounding his sister. Celia loved her powers and took pleasure in it. Bonnie wasn`t sure about them yet.  
   
Why did he have to promise Damon he would do this? Celia hadn´t been able to get through to the Bennett-witch. How should he be able to do what she couldn`t? But he had promised and he didn`t want to disappoint Damon. So he had to try.  
   
The warlock took a deep breath and got up to intercept Bonnie. She looked at him warily, heightening his nervousness. But he met her eyes calmly. Or rather, as calmly as he could. „Hello Bonnie. My name is Colin. Could I talk to you for a minute?“ The Bennett-witch frowned. „Who the hell are you and how do you know my name?“ she asked harshly.  
   
„I`m a friend. Please. I just want to talk.“ Colin assured, taken aback by her open hostility. Bonnie snorted in disgust. „I don´t even know you. So you`re certainly not a friend of mine. And I don`t have time right now.“ She pushed past him and walked to her car. Colin followed her hesitantly. „Please, Bonnie. It won`t take long. Just listen to me for a moment. I know what professor Shane is teaching you. You need to be careful. Expression is highly dangerous.“  
   
Bonnie whirled around and gave him a look that made him stumble backwards. „Who sent you? Those damn vampires?“ she sneered. „It`s not what you think. I just..“ Colin tried to explain, but she interrupted him. „I don`t care what they do to try and make me turn on Shane. I trust him. And now get lost.“ The darkness around her seemed to thicken. Colin wondered if she was even aware of what she was doing. How she was gathering her power around her, ready to strike. He recognised a threat when he saw one, so he backed down.  
   
„I really want to help you Bonnie. And I`m sorry, if I`ve somehow made you angry. I didn`t mean to. But if you reconsider...“ Again she didn`t let him finish. „I won`t. And now get lost. I don`t want your help. And I don`t need it.“ Colin sighed and backed away, without taking his eyes off her. Shane must`ve totally brainwashed her. And the power that was pulsating around her was giving him the creeps. She wasn`t as powerful as Celia yet, but she was on her way there. He hadn`t been able to save his sister. How should he save this young witch? He would have to disappoint Damon. There was nothing they could do.  
   
###

When Alaric returned home from work, Damon and Caroline were still cuddled together on the couch, reading their books. The older Salvatore glanced at his boyfriend with a scowl and growled: “Don`t ask.” Caroline on the other hand greeted him with a smile. “Are you feeling better?” the teacher asked, stifling a grin at the strange sight. “Yes, the wound has healed completely. I`m fine.” the blonde assured.

“Good. I told Tyler you wanted to get some more rest. And I made sure he wouldn`t worry.” the teacher murmured. “He compelled him.” Damon added helpfully. Ric was about to justify his actions, when Caroline beat him to it. “It´s okay, really. I`m glad you did it. I know Tyler. He would`ve come to check on me and once he´d found out I was with Klaus…” She didn’t need to finish the sentence. They all knew what could`ve happened. “I still don’t like it.” Ric mumbled. He had sworn to himself not to use that power. „It was necessary. And for his own good. Don`t beat yourself up over it.“ Damon said.  
   
“He`s right. You probably saved Tyler`s life by compelling him.” Caroline agreed. Of course Alaric knew that. Didn`t make it easier. Still he tried to shake off the guilt and slumped down into an armchair. “You wouldn`t believe the rumours going around about yesterday.” he changed the topic. Quite a few students had asked him if he really hadn`t been in the witness protection program. They were convinced someone had tried to kill him last night. “I`m really starting to wonder who comes up with those stories.” he murmured, while he noticed with a smirk that Caroline was still cuddled against Damon`s side.  
   
All three looked up when Tyler suddenly burst into the room. Damon wondered why no-one ever knocked around here and was seriously contemplating just locking his front door from now on. “I wanted to check on Caroline, but no-one opened the door and…” the hybrid stopped mid-sentence and stared at the couch in shock. “I was here with Damon. I didn´t want to be alone.” Caroline explained, finally getting up and joining her boyfriend. Tyler put an arm around her possessively and glared at the older Salvatore. “Oh come on, quit the angry puppy look. You`re even less threatening than Stefan. Besides, I really have no interest in fucking your girlfriend. Been there, done that. In case you`ve forgotten.” Damon mocked.  
   
Ric tensed, ready to intervene should Tyler try to attack his boyfriend. Really, when would Damon ever learn not to mess with hybrids? Luckily Caroline stopped Tyler from attacking. “That was meant as a joke, Tyler. Damon was really sweet and he didn`t try to hit on me or anything. You have no reason to worry. I love you. Only you.“ she assured. „That wasn`t funny.“ the hybrid spat, still glaring at Damon. “Can you drive me home? And tell me what I missed at school today?” Caroline asked, dragging him out of the door.  
   
„You should really stop messing around with hybrids.” Alaric remarked. Damon shrugged. „Why? It´s fun. And wolf-boy is so easy to rile up.“ Ric shook his head in resignation. “Don´t expect me to save your ass every time. Next time I`ll let you fend for yourself.” he threatened. He was pretty sure that his boyfriend looked right through him. Of course he would protect Damon. No matter what stupid shit he pulled.  
   
“How´s Liz?” he changed the subject. “She´s fine. Drowning in paperwork, but aside from that…” Damon shrugged. He told his boyfriend what Liz had found out about the hunter and that Celia was searching for the trailer. “Yeah, Meredith called earlier and asked if I had sent a strange woman named Celia McGrath. I asked her to help Celia. Told her she was a friend.” the teacher let him know. Okay, maybe Damon should have warned him. But luckily Ric was spontaneous. “Good. Then let’s hope the witch succeeds.”  
   
Ric was about to reply when the ringing of Damon`s cell phone interrupted them. “Speak of the devil.” the dark-haired vampire murmured after looking at the caller ID. “Celia, did you find the van?” Alaric listened in to their conversation. The enhanced hearing was something he was really starting to like. “Of course I did. I`ll text you the coordinates.” Celia promised. Damon thanked her and hung up. About a minute later he received the promised text. “That should be a few miles out of the city. Behind the forest, I think.” Ric murmured thoughtfully. „You really were a boy scout, weren`t you?“  
   
„Of course I was.“ the teacher smirked. “So, are we taking a look at it?” Damon nodded. “Yeah, let`s go. Maybe we`ll find something useful.“ Ric insisted on getting the bag with his weapons before they took off. You couldn’t be careful enough. Maybe the hunter had an apprentice or a friend who was keeping watch at the trailer. The guy had managed to get the better of them more than once. Ric wanted to make sure that it never happened again.  
   
They parked the car a little off the street and continued on foot, since Damon´s Camaro wasn`t made for rough terrain. The trailer was hidden close to the forest, like Ric had predicted. The teacher was creeping towards the trailer quietly, causing Damon to roll his eyes. “Ric, really. If there was anything living inside we would hear a heart-beat. Do you hear anything?” he asked. “No.” the teacher had to admit. „And then why the creeping around?“ the dark-haired vampire wanted to know. Ric shrugged. “Habit?”  
   
Damon shook his head with a smile and busted the door open. He barely had one foot over the threshold when he heard a low, clicking sound. Before he had a chance to react Ric had grabbed him and pulled him back. Not a second too late, since a wooden arrow embedded itself in the doorway. Exactly where Damon´s leg had been. “Oops.” the older vampire commented. „Be careful, damnit. We can`t underestimate that guy!“ Alaric warned, pushing past him. He had taken two steps into the trailer when the next trap went off.  
   
Damon caught the arrow about an inch away from Ric`s shoulder. “And you`re telling me to be careful? What about you?” he grumbled. Ric let his eyes sweep across the inside of the trailer, looking for more traps. “I told you yesterday – I´m harder to kill.” he reminded. “So you want me to hang back and watch you get pierced by arrows? Is that what you want? Never knew you had a masochistic streak, Ric.” Damon`s sarcasm couldn’t mask his worry. He was scared Ric might get hurt and Ric knew it. “Of course I do. I`m dating you.” he joked.  
   
Another step and this time he caught the arrow aimed at his heart himself. But the movement set off another trap and this time neither vampire was fast enough. The arrow embedded itself into Ric`s right shoulder blade. “Fuck!” the teacher cursed. Damon was at his side in an instant, pulling out the arrow with a harsh tug, that hurt even more than getting hit with it. “Ouch, Damon!” his boyfriend complained. “What? That`s what you wanted, isn`t it?“  
   
Ric turned towards him, ready to snark back, but the angry retort got stuck on his tongue as soon as he saw Damon examining the arrow tip with a worried look. He could guess what the other vampire was thinking. “Werewolf-poison won`t kill an original.” he reminded quietly. “Great. Does that mean next time we get attacked by a group of rabid puppies you`ll throw yourself protectively in front of me?” the dark-haired vampire spat. “Yeah, that`s exactly what it means.” Alaric agreed calmly. He grabbed Damon`s shoulder and met his dark look. “I know that you want to protect me, Damon. And I`m really grateful for that. But you`ll have to allow me to do the same. Okay? I`m not a helpless human anymore.” 

"But you`re still an idiot! You`ve been a vampire for what? A couple of days? And you`re already acting like Mr. Invincible!" Damon snarked and Ric found it hard to keep his own temper in check. "I was created as a nearly unkillable original, in case you´ve forgotten." he shot back angrily. "Yes, I remember how you were created. And then you died and I... I couldn`t..." Damon`s voice broke and he quickly turned away. 

Alaric`s anger was gone in an instant. Only slowly he realized how Damon must feel. How scared he must be of losing him again. Especially now they were so happy together. He wrapped his arms around the dark-haired vampire and pulled him against his chest. "I`m sorry, Damon. I`ll try to be more careful, okay? And I promise I`ll never leave you again." he assured. "You can`t promise something like that." the older vampire muttered. "But I just did." Damon turned around and pulled him into an almost desperate kiss. "You´re still an idiot." he grumbled when he pulled away. "Yeah, probably." Ric agreed, letting go of him.

“I think that was the last one.” the teacher commented and quickly crossed the whole length of the trailer, before Damon could stop him. No other trap was set off. It looked like the hunter had only set up traps in the front part of his mobile home. He`d probably thought everyone would be dead before he got any further. His mistake. “Okay, that was really the last one.” he told his boyfriend, who only grumbled something about idiots and empty promises in response, turned away and started searching through the trailer. Ric let him be and started searching himself.  
   
“Gross. I think I found the rest of Klaus hybrids.” Damon spoke up after a few minutes of silence. The teacher stepped up behind him and peered into the cupboard that the older vampire had just opened. There were two bloody, severed heads inside. “Looks like it.” he agreed. „Looks like what?“ another voice joined the discussion. They turned to find Klaus leaning in the doorway, peering inside with a disgusted look on his face. “What are you doing here?” Damon asked, not even trying to hide his annoyance. Why did the guy only show up when you didn`t need him? “A little bird told me you found the temporary home of our dead friend.”  
   
“And you thought you`d join us in case we find some hint at the mysterious weapon from the Silas-legend? Don´t worry, we can`t kill you.” the dark-haired vampire reminded. “I like to know what`s going on in my town, that`s all.” Klaus let him know. Ric pointed to the cupboard. „Are those the heads you`re missing?“ Klaus joined them in the trailer reluctantly and took a quick peek into the cupboard. His face darkened. “Indeed.”  
   
He went back outside and watched from the doorway, providing a running commentary while Damon and Alaric searched through the hunter´s stuff. Connor Jordan hadn`t been a neat freak, that much was for sure. Clothes, food and lots of other stuff was strewn all over the place. They also found a lot of weapons – pistols, stakes and an old rifle, along with various bottles. Ric didn`t even want to guess what they might contain. But what really gave him the creeps in the end weren`t the weapons, or the severed heads. It was a simple piece of paper.  
   
“What´s that?” Damon asked, noticing the teacher stiffen. „A death-list.“ Alaric whispered. “And I guess I know who wrote it.” He gave the paper to Damon, who took a look at it and nodded. “Bonnie.” he confirmed Ric´s suspicion. Right at the top of the list was Anna`s name, followed by Damon`s. “And if that´s true, Shane`s influence on her is worse than we thought.” Ric murmured. His boyfriend gave him a puzzled look, so he pointed to the last two names on the list: Caroline Forbes and Elena Gilbert.  
   
“She outed her two best friends as vampires.” Damon whispered in disbelief. He knew that the witch hated him and would love to see him dead. That was nothing new. But Caroline and Elena? „I`ve heard that you`ve got some trouble with your witch. But as far as I`m informed you`ve already found a replacement.” Klaus sounded amused and Ric had to fight the urge to throttle him. “Yeah, was a special offer – buy one, get one free. You never know when you`re going to need another replacement.” Damon snarked.  
   
Aside from the death-list they couldn`t find anything useful. Alaric pocketed the list and breathed a sigh of relief when he finally left the trailer. “What do we do now? Should we call sheriff Forbes, so she can come and get the trailer?” he asked. “And hand over the weapons to her vampire hating deputies? Smart move.” Klaus pointed out. He was really starting to grate on the teacher`s nerves. Why did that stupid hybrid have to stick his nose into everything? “As much as I hate to admit it, he`s got a point there.” Damon mumbled. He let his eyes sweep over the inside of the trailer once more and smirked suddenly. “You know what? I think I will call Liz and tell her to send a few deputies tomorrow morning to collect what`s left of the trailer.”  
   
Alaric followed his gaze and spied the gas tank in a corner. He looked back at Damon who gave him a questioning look. “Yeah, fine. Probably the best solution.” the teacher agreed with a sigh. Damon took the gas tank and poured its contents all over the chaos inside the trailer, before lighting it with a match. “Man, what a psycho. Burns down his trailer, before trying to blow up the Grill and attacking innocent teenagers.” the dark-haired vampire commented while they strolled back to the car. Ric flinched when there was an explosion behind them, but they were far enough away from town so no-one would notice the fire.  
   
“You two can be rather useful if you want to. Good to know.” Klaus muttered, before getting into his car and driving off. The two younger vampires looked after him, shaking their heads. “I hope he`ll still be as amiable once vampire Barbie has broken his heart.” Damon muttered. When Alaric just gave him a questioning look he told the teacher about his conversation with Caroline earlier today. Alaric laughed. “I`m impressed. If I didn`t know any better I`d say you`re growing up, Damon.” he joked. Damon punched his shoulder not gently and growled: “Oh shut up.”, but couldn`t contain a smirk himself.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I managed to get another chapter done already. This one will be rather short, but also rather hot. Hope you like.

Back at the boarding house they showed the death list to Elena and Stefan. Jeremy had a late shift at the Grill and Anna would keep him company. Ric suspected that she wanted to look after her boyfriend and couldn`t blame her. “That`s Bonnie`s handwriting.” Elena confirmed quietly. She looked like she was about to cry. “We don´t know why she wrote that. Maybe Shane tricked her and she doesn’t even know about the hunter.“ Alaric tried to comfort her. He could see that Damon thought otherwise and if he was completely honest with himself he didn`t believe his explanation himself. They had no idea what was going through Bonnie`s head right now and the fact that Anna and Damon were on top of the list spoke volumes.  
   
But when Elena asked: “Do you really believe that?”, wiping a tear from her eye, he couldn`t bring himself to answer truthfully. The poor girl had suffered so much already and she was still having a hard enough time dealing with everything that had happened, without having to wonder if her best friend really wanted her dead. “Yeah, Shane must`ve tricked her.” he said again. “We`ll have another talk with professor creepy tomorrow.” Damon decided and Ric nodded. It couldn`t hurt to put a little pressure on Shane.  
   
“Okay, that means there`s nothing we can do today. Why don`t we head to the Grill?” Stefan asked, looking around. “We don`t have to make a new tradition of the double-dates, just because it worked once, brother. But you can go. Have a nice evening.” Damon declined with a smirk. „We`ll tell Jeremy and Anna what you`ve found out.” Elena promised. Alaric was glad that she and Anna had obviously made peace. He suspected that the worry about Jeremy had brought them closer. “I`ll spend the night with Elena at the Gilberts.” Stefan added. He had obviously caught up on the fact that his brother wanted to get rid of them.  
   
To Alaric`s great surprise Damon strolled into the library after Stefan and Elena had left. The teacher had expected to end up with his back pressed into the nearest wall, as soon as the door closed, with Damon ripping at his clothes. Instead the dark-haired vampire poured them drinks and lit a fire in the fire place. His boyfriend was always full of surprises after all. Ric was about to take a seat on the couch, when Damon pulled him down onto the rug in front of the fireplace instead. Shrugging the teacher got comfortable and sipped his bourbon.  
   
For some time they just sat there, enjoying the peace and quiet, like they had so many times before. After a while Damon stretched out on the floor, put his arms behind his head and looked up at his boyfriend with an almost challenging expression. Ric took the challenge quite willingly and bend down to kiss Damon. The dark-haired vampire sighed contentedly and pulled him closer.  
   
The teacher couldn`t tell how long they just laid there. The kisses, gentle and almost innocent at first, quickly got more heated. One of Ric`s hands found its way beneath Damon´s tight shirt, caressing the soft skin, while Damon wrapped his leg around Ric, arching up against him, proving to the teacher that he wasn`t the only one whose jeans were getting too tight.  
   
From far away Alaric could hear the front door shutting and steps coming closer. He suspected Jeremy and Anna were coming home and tried to break the passionate embrace, to spare Jeremy another awkward moment. But Damon made a protesting sound and clung to him even more. Out of the corner of his eyes Ric saw someone entering the library and noticed that it wasn`t even Jeremy and Anna, but Colin and Celia. All thoughts of letting go of his boyfriend vanished in an instant. Following a sudden impulse he sank his fangs into the tender skin of Damon´s neck, eliciting a groan from the dark-haired vampire.  
   
“Are we disturbing you?” Celia asked drolly. Alaric lifted his head and looked towards her. He knew that the dark veins underneath his eyes were still showing, just like his fangs, which were dripping with Damon`s blood. “Yes.” he growled and felt a much too deep satisfaction when Colin flinched and gave him an almost scared look. He had always been rather jealous and possessive, when he`d been dating someone. But it had never been that bad. Maybe it was all Damon. Or maybe it was the fact that he was a vampire now.  
   
“Whatever you want to tell us, can it wait until tomorrow?” Damon asked, barely looking up from his position on the floor. Celia`s smile once again made goose bumps rise on Ric`s skin. “I guess it can wait. Goodnight boys.” She marched off and her brother hurried after her. Ric bent down to kiss his boyfriend once again, before pulling away reluctantly. “Bedroom?” Damon shook his head and pulled him back down. “Too far.” His clever fingers had unbuttoned Ric`s shirt and pushed it halfway down his shoulders, before the teacher even realized he had done it. “Damon, wait. Let`s go upstairs. We don`t even have lube down here.“ he pointed out.  
   
The dark-haired vampire rolled his eyes and produced a tube of lube from under the couch. “That shouldn`t really surprise me, should it?” Ric commented dryly. „No, it shouldn`t. Any more objections?“ Damon answered, pulling off his own shirt. “Jeremy and Anna could come in any moment.” Ric remembered. Damon just shrugged and grabbed his belt, but Ric stopped him. “I`m serious, Damon. Let`s go upstairs.” The dark-haired vampire pouted. „You`re such a bore. Fine, go upstairs. I`m not moving.“  
   
Alaric knew that Damon meant it. He would stay right where he was. So he did the only logic thing. He grabbed Damon, slung him over his shoulder and carried him upstairs, eliciting a bout of nearly hysterical laughter from the dark-haired vampire. Ric noticed vaguely that Colin´s door opened just as they passed. The warlock poked his head out into the hallway, pulled a face like a frightened rabbit and quickly closed the door again. Grinning Ric moved further along the corridor.  
   
Once inside the bedroom he dropped Damon onto the large bed. “I`m dating a caveman.” the older vampire complained, still chuckling. “Your own fault.” Ric mumbled with a shrug and was about to join his boyfriend on the bed, but Damon stopped him. “Uh-uh – clothes off first.” Ric raised his eyebrows at him, but complied and undressed quickly. Damon watched him with a smirk. “I`ve really got to teach you how to do a proper striptease, Ric.” he chided. The teacher chose not to comment. As soon as the last piece of clothing had found its way onto the floor, Damon was suddenly on his feet, pushing his boyfriend onto the bed.  
   
Ric reached for him, but Damon slapped his hands away and took a step backwards. “Watch and learn, honey.” he whispered, starting to strip off his clothes, letting his hands slide over his body, his hips swaying in a gentle rhythm. Ric had to admit that the view was rather nice. Once naked, Damon straddled him. “I guess this time you don`t want me to be quiet?” he guessed and Ric could feel himself blushing as he thought back to the scene earlier down in the library.  
   
“I`m sorry. That was pretty stupid. Especially biting you. That… I don´t even know why I react so jealous.” he mumbled. “Because you`re a vampire. And I`m damn hot.” Damon explained. „But that´s okay. This possessive attitude is rather sexy, if you ask me.“ he admitted. “And you can bite me anytime. As long as I`m allowed to retaliate.” Alaric shuddered when the dark-haired vampire started nibbling at his neck. Without warning he bit down and Ric gasped. It felt amazing to have Damon feeding from him.  
   
Without really realizing what he was doing he buried a hand in Damon´s hair and pressed him even closer. Ric was almost disappointed when his boyfriend pulled away, licking over the wound one last time, before it closed. Ric pulled him into another heated kiss and groaned when Damon started rubbing against him. Ric`s hands wandered over Damon`s back, before coming to rest on his hips. He wanted to flip them over, press Damon into the mattress, but the dark-haired vampire made a protesting sound and resisted. Alaric gave in and relaxed with his back against the headboard instead. Damon had been surprisingly passive so far when it came to lovemaking and Ric was intrigued to see what he had planned now.  
   
Damon let go long enough to get the lube from the bedside table. He pushed the tube into Ric`s hand and leaned down for another kiss. The teacher coated his fingers with the clear liquid, before pushing one finger into his lover and quickly adding another. Damon seemed in a hurry today, because he soon gasped: “That`s enough.” Ric pulled his fingers out, but looked up at his boyfriend with a frown. “Are you sure?” He would`ve preferred to take things a bit slower, make sure Damon was ready.  
   
Instead of a verbal answer Damon guided Ric`s erection to his entrance and sank down upon him slowly. The teacher bit his lip and tried in vain to stifle a groan. Damon wasn`t so cautious. He threw his head back and moaned loudly. “I thought we didn`t have to be quiet tonight.” he reminded with a grin. Alaric wrapped his arms around him and stopped holding back, as Damon started to move. His hips matched Damon´s rhythm automatically and he gasped the older vampire`s name without even realizing it.  
   
Damon leaned down to capture the teacher`s lips in another kiss and gasped when the slight change of position caused his erection to rub against Ric`s belly, smearing pre-come over the teacher`s skin. All too soon he was propelled over the edge and felt himself spill between their bodies. Alaric followed only seconds later. Damon slumped against him, put his forehead against Ric´s shoulder and enjoyed the feeling of Ric`s hands gently stroking his back.  
   
The teacher couldn`t tell how long they stayed in this position. He loved just holding Damon, while the dark-haired vampire was practically purring under his touch. After a while Damon pulled away reluctantly and collapsed down on the bed. “We need a shower.” Ric noticed. Damon murmured in agreement, but made no move to get up. Ric climbed to his feet and looked down on him with a mock glare. “Come on, Damon. Get up.” The dark-haired vampire only grinned cheekily, before ordering: „Carry me.“ Ric muttered: “Little princess.” but couldn`t hold back a grin himself. Shaking his head he pulled Damon up, slung him over his shoulder and carried him to the bathroom, making him snicker once again.  
   
They took their time showering, washing each other thoroughly and spent long minutes just kissing. Finally they got out of the shower, dried off and crawled naked into bed. Alaric cuddled against Damon`s back, put an arm around him and pulled him even closer. Damon sighed contentedly and mused that every day should end like this, as he slowly drifted off.


	20. Chapter 20

The shrill sound of the alarm clock startled Jeremy awake. Grumbling he pulled a pillow over his head, groping around blindly for the alarm clock, but not finding it. Just as he was about to give up and fling the pillow aside, the mattress moved lightly and the noise stopped. “Wrong side, sleepyhead.” Anna giggled next to him. Only now did he remember that he`d spent the night at Anna`s. Her bedside table was on the other side of the bed. No wonder he hadn`t reached the alarm clock from his position.  
   
Groaning he let his arm flop back onto the bed and was just contemplating turning around to get more sleep when the cover was pulled off him. “Anna!” he whined in protest. “Stop grumbling and get up. We don`t want to be late for school.“ she admonished. When Jeremy still didn`t move she ripped the pillow away from him. The teen squinted up at her. “Why are you so keen on going to school? And why are you so damned awake? It`s still dark outside.”  
   
“It`s already dawn.” she lectured, but Jeremy only grumbled in protest. He wasn`t really a morning person like his girlfriend, but Anna had already discovered ways to get him out of bed. With a devious grin she climbed over him and started dropping kisses over his naked torso. “If you`re a good boy and get up right now we can shower together before breakfast.” she offered. That got the expected reaction and Jeremy finally crawled out of bed. “Alright, let´s shower.”  
   
Still grinning Anna grabbed his hand and pulled him into the bathroom. Once the door had closed behind them, Jeremy wrapped his arms around her from behind, gently caressing her sides and kissing her neck, before pulling her sleep shirt off. Anna turned in his arms and sealed his lips with hers, pressing herself against him. They parted only long enough to get their underwear off, before resuming kissing.  
   
Anna suddenly pulled away and without giving her boyfriend a chance to react pushed him into the shower stall, turning on the water. Jeremy gave a startled scream as he was drenched in icy cold water. “Guess now you`re awake.” Anna joked, almost doubled over in laughter. “You`ll get that back.” Jeremy threatened. She only laughed harder and he used her distraction to pull her under the spray as well, eliciting a shriek from her.  
   
Gasping and giggling they finally turned the temperature to warm. “You`re evil.” Jeremy protested, but couldn`t contain the grin. „But you still love me.“ Anna claimed and he nodded. “I do.” Still smiling he pushed her against the wall of the shower stall and kissed her again. She gasped in surprise as she felt the cold tiles against her back and in contrast Jeremy´s warm hands caressing her body. Not for the first time she wondered how he seemed to find all the right places to touch, to make her knees feel weak and her breathing speed up.  
   
She didn`t protest when he grabbed her thighs and hoisted her up. She wrapped her legs around him willingly, clinging to his broad shoulders and gasped again when he entered her. For a second she marvelled at the strength with which he held her up so easily, enjoyed the play of his muscles under her fingertips. But soon he started moving inside her, making rational thought impossible. She could only feel. She tried to muffle her cries by burying her head in the crook of his neck, feeling him shudder and trying to ignore the tantalizing smell of his blood.  
   
When Jeremy groaned: “Do it.” she hesitated only for a second, before sinking her fangs into his neck as gently as she could. Jeremy`s sweet, hot blood rushed into her mouth, filling her senses and making her light headed. He tasted like a drug. Like love and sunshine and everything she´d ever dreamed of. Jeremy moaned and tensed for a second and she could feel him coming inside her. It was the last straw that triggered her own climax.  
   
She withdrew her fangs and noticed the tremor in his arms when he put her down again, before leaning heavily against the wall. Anna couldn`t tell if the tremor resulted from the exertion of holding her up so long or from his orgasm. Right now she didn`t really care. She slumped against Jeremy, glad that he still had an arm slung around her waist, steadying her, until her legs stopped feeling like jelly. Without hesitation she bit her lip and tugged him down to kiss her, sharing her blood and healing the bite-mark. She didn`t want to cause him unnecessary pain and she also didn`t want Elena to find out that she was feeding from Jeremy. She had no desire to have Jeremy`s sister nagging her. Especially now that they were finally starting to get along.  
   
When they had finally caught their breaths they took some time cleaning each other before stepping out of the shower and getting dressed. The kitchen was empty when they made it downstairs, which was surprising. Jeremy was sure that Damon and Alaric had spent the night at the boarding house as well. He had heard them last night.  
   
“Aren`t Damon and Alaric up yet?” Anna wondered aloud. “School starts in about 30 minutes. Do you think they overslept?“ Jeremy asked. His girlfriend shrugged. „Maybe. We should take a look and find out.“ she murmured. Jeremy really had no desire to walk in on those two – hearing them was bad enough, he didn`t need the image as well – but unfortunately Anna was right. Ric would feel bad about being late. “Okay, I`ll go.”  
   
###  
   
“Alaric?” The loud voice pulled the teacher from his sleep. Next to him Damon grumbled something unintelligible and pulled the covers over his head. Ric sleepily opened his eyes and found Jeremy standing next to the bed, smirking down on him. “School starts in about 20 minutes. Just thought I´d tell you. You can ride with Anna and me, if you hurry.“ the teen offered. It took Ric a moment to understand. School was about to start, which meant… he had to be at work in 20 minutes. Oh fuck.  
   
Cursing Ric jumped out of bed and ran into the bathroom, calling over his shoulder that he`d only need 10 minutes. Damn. He had been so occupied with Damon last night that he`d completely forgotten to set his alarm clock. He was the first week back on the job and already he was making a habit of coming late. Really great. He took a quick shower, brushed his teeth, combed through his hair two times and decided against shaving yet again. Not enough time.  
   
He hurried back into the bedroom and found Damon still in bed. The dark-haired vampire was watching him with an amused expression. “Really, I`m shocked, Ric. Yesterday you`re giving me all this shit about being concerned that Jeremy might catch us together in the library and now you`re strutting around naked in front of him.” The teacher stopped in the middle of pulling on his shirt and looked at the older vampire aghast. Only then did he realize that he had in fact jumped out of bed an ran past Jeremy buck naked. “Oh god, I`m really the world´s worst guardian ever.”  
   
“Rubbish. I don´t think you`re the first naked guy the boy has seen and I`m sure he didn`t think anything by it. Would`ve been worse if it had been Elena. She`s a real prude when it comes to nudity. Blushes and all that crap.” Damon remarked helpfully. „Great. I don`t even want to know how you know that.“ Alaric murmured, shaking his head. Finally dressed he leaned down to kiss his boyfriend goodbye. “You could just call in sick.” Damon suggested. Ric shook his head with a smile. „Forget it. I`ll see you later. I need to go before they leave without me. God, I need a new car.” The last sentence had been mumbled more to himself.  
   
Jeremy and Anna were waiting by the door. “Hey, sorry I kept you waiting. And thanks for the wakeup call.” Ric greeted them. „Hey, no problem. We should make it just in time.“ Jeremy assured with a grin. He seemed really amused by the whole thing. Luckily he was also right. Ric sat down at his desk just as the bell rang. He grimaced when his students started whispering among each other, musing not so quietly why he was late yet again.  
   
As if the strange looks he had received in the parking lot hadn`t been bad enough. He decided to borrow Damon´s Camaro tomorrow or ask the dark-haired vampire to drive him. Having his boyfriend play chauffeur was at least a bit better than having to rely on his 17-year old protégé. And on the weekend he would call the insurance company and see if he could get some money out of them. He really needed a car.  
   
###  
   
Work turned out pretty boring and stretched endlessly. Just like the last few days the students seemed more interested in their conspiracy theories concerning his death and his relationship with Damon than the lessons. The teacher had stopped counting how often he had explained now that no, he wasn`t hunted by the Mafia and no, he also hadn`t been put in the witness protection program. It was really starting to grate on his nerves.  
   
He breathed a sigh of relief when the bell signalled the end of the school day and wasn`t all that surprised to find Damon waiting for him in front of his classroom. Of course the dark-haired vampire`s presence brought on another bout of whispering and giggling. Damon was still enjoying the attention. He strolled towards Ric casually and greeted him with a kiss, which caused the noise in the hallway to double. Some Students and also a few teachers looked disgusted, while others were impressed that the two men showed their love so openly. Then there were the usual, dirty jokes and the giggles of some girls along with the question why the hot guys were always gay.  
   
By now Ric managed to ignore all that quite well. Still he was glad when Damon pulled away. “I thought we`ll have a chat with professor creepy, before we head home. What do you say?” the dark-haired vampire suggested. “Yeah, sure. He should still be in his office.“ Alaric agreed.  
   
Not all of the students and teachers headed right home after school. There were always some extra studies, which took place after school, along with football and cheerleader practice. Some stayed to watch the practice, other students went to the library, to get their homework done or hung around the school to smoke and drink in hidden places.  
   
Some of the teachers stayed to prepare their lessons for the next day, do paperwork or grade papers. Ric was one of the few who preferred to take their work home and that was mostly because of the fact that he usually needed a glass or two of bourbon to grade papers. Aside from the grammatical errors some of them were so stupid that he couldn`t bear to read them while sober. Not to mention the Wikipedia copies, which seemed to grow more and more popular.  
   
Luckily Alaric and Damon met almost no-one today, while they went to the unused part of the school, where Shane had been given an old office for the duration of his stay. Damon didn`t knock. Instead he barged right in, causing the professor to jump in shock. “You again.” he greeted the vampires with a nervous smile. “I`ve got to say, you`re spontaneous visits are getting a bit annoying.” Ric could hear the slight tremor in his voice. He was afraid of them, even if he was trying his hardest not to show it.  
   
“Too bad. We thought we`d try that thing again, where we ask questions and you answer them.” Damon answered. “I don`t think so. You`ll have to excuse me. I`m a very busy man.“ Shane declined. He got up and took a few steps towards the door, but Alaric blocked his way. “Not so fast. Let`s have a chat.” Damon suggested with an all too friendly smile. Ric could hear Shane`s heart rate speed up. The professor stood stock still, his hands buried in his pockets. A slight tremor went through his body. Damon rolled his eyes and pushed him down onto a chair.  
   
“Alright.. we know that you made the pastor blow up the council. Expression hotspot number one. Then you tried to get the hybrids to conspire against Klaus, so he´d kill them. Which would have been expression hotspot number two. We managed to prevent that, as you surely know. But I can`t shake the feeling that you`ve already got a back-up plan. Or at least a plan for hotspot number three. So you`re going to tell me all about that plan, right now.” the dark-haired vampire ordered.  
   
“I`m not telling you anything.” Shane spat. His bravery was almost impressive. Almost. „Oh but you will.“ Damon assured. „I can`t compel you, but I have loads of other methods to get you to talk.“ He put his hand on the professor´s shoulder and squeezed. Shane gasped in pain, but pressed his lips together and shook his head. “Okay, guess I`ll have to ask with a little more force then.” the dark-haired vampire muttered. He glanced around the room, until he spotted a strange dagger on one of the shelves. A dark smile appeared on his lips and Ric shuddered. His boyfriend was having way too much fun with this. But he wouldn`t stop him.  
   
Damon grabbed the dagger, moved in front of Shane and started playing around with the weapon. Shane´s eyes were glued to the dagger, but still he kept his mouth shut. Without warning Damon plunged the dagger into the professor`s thigh, right up to the hilt, eliciting a yell of pain from him. Damon pulled the blade out and watched with a grin as blood welled out of the wound and soaked Shane`s pant leg. The professor whimpered.  
   
The sweet, alluring smell of blood reached Alaric`s nostrils and he reacted without meaning to. He could feel the veins beneath his eyes darkening and his fangs breaking through. The hunger that shot through him was almost painful. But instead of lunging at Shane and draining him dry, like his instinct told him, be backed away and pressed himself against the closed door. He took a deep breath, like Damon had taught him and felt the craving ease. His features returned to normal. He met Damon´s eyes and communicated wordlessly that he was okay. He had it under control.  
   
There was no mistaking Damon`s proud grin. And the fear in Shane`s eyes. “Looks like my boyfriend is hungry.” Damon murmured. „What do you say, Ric? Want a bite?“ The professor`s eyes widened in shock. His heart was racing and his breath was coming in short gasps. Alaric decided to play along and licked his lips demonstratively. “Tempting. But we don`t know what kinds of witchy herbs he`s dosing himself with. Wouldn`t want to poison myself.” he pointed out. “Good point. Too risky. No snack then.“ Damon agreed. „Then let’s get back to our little game of 20 questions.“  
   
Once again he picked up the dagger and moved the bloodied blade along Shane`s throat, without breaking the skin. Shane was trembling furiously. He screamed again, when the blade reached his shoulder and Damon suddenly executed more pressure. Blood soaked Shane`s white shirt, while the blade moved further, back towards his throat. “I could carve a heart with our initials into his chest.” the dark-haired vampire mused. Alaric smiled against his will. “Always knew you were a hopeless romantic.”  
   
The blade moved further, leaving a trail of blood. Shane must`ve lost quite a bit by now, since Damon`s cuts weren`t exactly shallow. The dagger was now perilously close to Shane´s throat again. “Witches!” the professor gasped suddenly. Damon took the blade away. „When Bonnie is ready she`ll lure a coven into town and… kill them.“ Shane admitted. The two vampires exchanged a quick look. Alaric was about to comment, but closed his mouth when he looked at the professor. The deep cut at Shane`s collarbone had disappeared. Right in front of Alaric`s shocked eyes the next wound was slowly closing. “Damon…”  
   
Damon pulled the blood-stained shirt aside, as Ric came closer. Shocked both vampires watched the cuts slowly knitting shut. Alaric`s first thought was vampire blood. But if Shane had vampire blood in his system the cuts would have healed right away and not now, after a few minutes. “What the hell…?” Damon whispered. Suddenly the door burst open and Jeremy barged in. „Stop!“ They gave him a puzzled look and he quickly explained: „Bonnie has bound him to April. You`re killing her.”  
   
Damon cursed loudly, while Shane started laughing. “Did you really think my witch wouldn`t protect me? You can`t hurt me.” the professor gloated. Alaric grabbed Damon`s arm and pulled him back, afraid that his boyfriend would plunge the dagger into Shane`s heart and kill April instead of the professor. “Laugh all you want. Your little witch won`t protect you forever. One day soon I`m going to rip your heart out.“ the dark-haired vampire threatened.  
   
Without sparing another look for the professor he marched out, the bloody dagger still clutched in his fist. Ric wasn`t sure if he had completely forgotten about the weapon or if he wanted to keep it. “You should put a leash on your boyfriend.” Shane taunted, just as Ric was about to follow Damon. The teacher whirled around and loomed over him menacingly. “Damon is right. Bonnie won`t protect you forever. And when we`ve broken the hold you have over her, I`m going to hold you still while Damon rips your heart out.” he growled, before following Jeremy out of the door.  
   
The teen led them to an old, unused classroom a few feet away. Bonnie left the room, just as they were about to enter. “Stay away from Shane. Or I`ll make sure you`ll regret it.” the witch hissed, before strutting to Shane`s office. Damon looked like he wanted to strangle her. Ric put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a gentle shove.  
   
Inside the old classroom they found April huddled and sobbing on the floor. Anna had wrapped both arms around the girl and was trying to calm her down. Alaric saw a lot of blood on April`s clothes, but no wounds on her body. “I gave her some blood.” Anna explained, noticing his look. „Shane must`ve told Bonnie what`s going on. We ran into her in the hallway and she… had a fight with Anna. Then she got a text and sprinted off, muttering something about fucking vampires. We didn`t like the sound of that, so we followed her.” Jeremy explained.  
   
“We had lost her for a moment, because Mr. Singer gave us a lecture about running in the school hallways. When we found her she was doing a spell. April cried out and started bleeding, but Bonnie wouldn`t stop. She said she had to protect Shane.” Anna added. Ric was shocked how far the witch was willing to go. And another thing worried him: Her powers were coming back.  
   
“We should talk to Colin and Celia. We can`t allow Bonnie to lure others witches here and kill them.” he spoke up. Damon nodded. “Let`s head home. The witches said they`d be gone for most of the day, but they promised to be back before nightfall.” he let his boyfriend know. Jeremy and Anna promised to take care of April and bring her home. Jeremy gave her his jacket to hide all the blood and led her out of the room. Ric cast a quick look in the direction of Shane`s office. He could hear Shane and Bonnie muttering, probably planning their next move. Trying to shake off the uneasy feeling he followed Damon to the parking lot.  
   
They got into the car and drove off without talking. Alaric couldn`t get the picture of April, scared and hurt out of his head. Obviously his boyfriend knew that. “Got a surprise for you.” he said suddenly, shaking Ric out of his dark thoughts. “Yeah?” Damon nodded with a grin. „What is it?“ Ric wanted to know. „You`ll see once we get home. If I tell you, it won`t be a surprise.“ the older vampire pointed out. Ric wasn`t sure what to think. His boyfriend was known for his spontaneous ideas, which were often stupid and / or dangerous. But Damon looked so giddy at the prospect of surprising him, which was kind of cute. So the teacher relaxed back in his seat and decided to wait and see what his boyfriend had done this time. At least it was better than wondering what Bonnie might be doing right now.  
   
Once they`d reached the boarding house, Damon insisted on blindfolding him. Alaric complied only reluctantly. He felt way too helpless, robbed of his sight. But he trusted Damon and he wanted to show him that he did. The dark-haired vampire led him around the back, turned him into position and took the blindfold off. “Surprise.” Ric blinked a few times. Stared at the brand new, dark-blue truck in the garage, completely speechless. “You don`t like it.” Damon muttered in dismay. „You… you bought me… a car?“ the teacher stammered, finally looking at his boyfriend.  
   
Damon nodded. He was biting his lip, fidgeting. He seemed totally off-balance, even if he tried not to let it show. “If you don`t like it, I can…” he started, but Ric shook his head. “No, no. I love it. It`s … awesome. I don´t know what to say.“ he muttered, feeling completely overwhelmed. “How about thank you?” Damon suggested, looking relieved. „Thank you.“ Ric said with a smile, pulling his boyfriend closer and dropping a kiss on his lips. “You`re incredible.” The compliment brought a smirk to Damon`s lips. „I know.“ he mumbled.  
   
„It`s all paid for and insured. Don`t look so shocked, Ric. I`m loaded, remember? And I`m sure you`ll find a way to thank me properly.” His smile showed clearly what he was thinking of. “Yeah, I guess I`ll think of something.” Ric agreed. Shaking his head he looked back to his new car. Damon was really always good for a surprise.  
   
“So… what do you think? Want to take it for a tour? Or christen your new car first? The backseat looks rather… comfortable.” Damon mumbled, wagging his eyebrows suggestively. And though he was pretty sure he might regret it later, Ric heard himself say: “Why don`t you decide?” Damon`s grin got even bigger and seconds later Alaric found himself on the backseat.  
 


	21. Chapter 21

 It was getting late in the evening when Damon and Alaric finally made it into the house. They showered together and had just gotten comfortable in the library, when Colin and Celia returned. Damon told them what had happened at school earlier today and how much they knew about Shane`s plans. Colin let the vampires know that he had tried talking to Bonnie yesterday, but she had brushed him off. “She wouldn`t even listen. Shane`s got complete control over her.” he muttered.  
   
„How did he manage that? I thought witches were immune to any kind of manipulation.“ Alaric spoke up. Damon just shrugged, but Celia had a theory. “Shane has travelled a lot. Especially after the death of his family. The search for answers became an obsession for him.“ she explained and Ric shuddered. He too had immersed himself in an obsessive search after his wife`s assumed death. He probably wasn`t better than Shane.  
   
“You never used teenage witches for your purposes. You`re nothing like him.” Damon growled next to him and Ric wondered if he had spoken aloud without meaning to, or if Damon just knew him well enough to guess his thoughts. Probably the latter. Anyway he was glad for his boyfriend`s support.  
   
“Shane has an immense knowledge. And we don`t even know how much his wife had told him. A normal human can`t practice magic. Not like us witches can. But there are always loopholes and the human psyche is a fragile thing. Especially when you know what buttons to push. Witches are no exception here.” Celia continued. „Great. And how do we break the hold Shane’s got over the little witch?” Damon wanted to know. Celia sighed and had to admit: “I`m not sure we can break it.”  
   
“This is getting better and better. Can you at least keep other witches from coming here to get slaughtered?” the dark-haired vampire continued. Alaric could already guess the answer, so he wasn`t all that surprised when Celia shrugged and admitted: “Probably not. They would never listen to me. Maybe Colin could…” she mused, but her brother shook his head. “Most witches fear and despise expression.” he started to explain. “Those who practice it get cast out. And while I don`t practice it myself, they are going to point out that I`m Celia`s twin and therefore it would`ve been my duty to sway her from this path. I didn`t do that, which makes me just as guilty.”  
   
“So our only option is to get Shane to abandon his plans. Or get rid of him for good.” Celia decided. “Wait a second, you told me we can`t kill him. You said it might make things even worse.“ Damon reminded her and Alaric added: „And Bonnie connected him to April. Which means we`d kill April.” Even if Shane died too, he would never sacrifice an innocent girl. It was bad enough that poor April had stumbled into this mess in the first place.  
   
“They aren`t connected any more. Bonnie is still too weak to make that spell last longer than maybe an hour. And she probably didn`t even know what she was doing. I`m starting to think that Atticus doesn`t have an emergency plan. He counts on the Bennett witch to protect him. If he did have a back-up plan, he would`ve used it today.” Celia explained. Ric didn`t like that. It was all too vague. But they didn`t have much of a choice. They couldn`t compel Shane, they couldn`t reason with him and threatening him was no use either. And his hold over Bonnie was growing. They had to stop him while they still could. If they still could.  
   
The teacher was glad when their talk was interrupted by the arrival of Stefan and Elena. “Jeremy told us what happened.” the younger Salvatore said quietly. “Did you at least get some information out of Shane?” Ric and Damon exchanged a quick look and decided silently to keep their plan to take Shane out to themselves for now. “We found out that he wants to use Bonnie to lure 12 witches into town and kill them. But he needs to wait for Bonnie to get complete control over her powers again. That should give us a few days.” Alaric answered.  
   
“Okay. So what do we do now?” Elena wanted to know. „I guess we wait. Maybe we`ll try to talk some sense into Shane tomorrow. We could offer to help him get his wife back.” he mused, looking to Celia, who nodded in agreement. “But it would be easier if Bonnie was otherwise occupied.” the older Salvatore continued. “I could talk to her.” Elena suggested, but the others quickly protested. “Just to distract her, so you can confront Shane. We`re still friends. Bonnie never let me down and I`m not letting her down either.” the brunette insisted. “Bonnie isn`t herself right now. She`s dangerous. Stay away from her.“ Damon ordered. „You can`t tell me what to do.“ Elena hissed.  
   
“Elena, he`s right. It´s too dangerous. You don`t know how Bonnie will react.” Stefan agreed with his brother. But Elena only got angry at him as well. After a few more discussions she told the three men to stay out of her life and left in a rush to spend the night alone at her house. Stefan watched her go with a frown. “She`ll get over it. New vamp. You know how it is. Emotional turmoil and all that crap.“ Damon tried to comfort his brother. “You´re right. I`ll give her time to cool off. She`ll be okay in the morning.“ the younger one agreed and went upstairs to his bedroom. “I hope she cools off quickly. Otherwise he`ll brood for the next few days.” Damon muttered darkly. Ric chose not to comment.  
   
The two witches had already retired to their rooms. The teenage drama was obviously grating on their nerves. Ric couldn`t blame them. He hated getting in the middle of that just as much. He and Damon had a drink and went to bed as well. After making sure that his alarm was set this time and with the intention of confronting Shane tomorrow right after school.  
   
###  
   
Unfortunately they had to abandon that plan. After second period Matt told Alaric that Professor Shane had left last night and no-one knew where he was. He hadn`t taken Bonnie with him, so he would probably return soon. The witch had spent the better part of today`s lesson staring at Alaric, which was really grating on his nerves. He wasn`t sure if she had been trying to give him an aneurysm and her powers weren`t strong enough yet, or if she had just been trying to make him nervous. In the end he had let the students off five minutes early, to escape her stare.  
   
Matt had lingered to inform the teacher about Shane`s absence, after the other students had left in a rush. Only Tyler lingered as well and was now joining them at the teacher`s desk. “Elena told me that you and Damon wanted to talk to him again. So I thought I´d tell you.” Matt explained. „Yeah, thanks. But how do you even know that?“ Ric wanted to know. „Overheard it at the Grill. Barkeepers overhear a lot.” Matt let him know and Ric couldn`t help but wonder what he knew about him and Damon. They visited the Grill frequently and they weren`t exactly quiet.  
   
“What`s up with that professor, anyway? Why does he have such a hold over Bonnie?” Tyler spoke up. “I don`t know. Celia thinks that he`s learned to manipulate people on his travels. And we don`t even know how long he and Bonnie have known each other.” Ric pointed out. “Caroline thinks he wrote to her a few weeks ago. He sent her some things of her grams and I think they talked on the phone, too.” the hybrid remembered. Alaric didn`t like the sound of that. He had already suspected that they had known each other longer than a few weeks. Shane had it all planned out and Bonnie was only a pawn in his plan. But she wouldn´t believe that if they told her.  
   
“Cool new car, by the way.” Tyler changed the topic. Ric grinned. „Thanks. It was a gift from Damon.“ He had already caused quite a stir at the parking lot earlier today. By tomorrow the town would be crawling with rumours about where he got the car. “Is that a vampire-thing? Buying cars for other people?” Matt asked with a wry smile. Ric gave him a puzzled look, so Tyler explained: “Rebekah bought him a car. To apologize for running him and Elena off the street and leaving them to drown. Although I believe she was hitting on him.”  
   
„Don`t start that again.“ Matt warned, but Tyler only grinned. “I didn`t see Rebekah in class today.” Alaric suddenly realized. He hadn`t thought anything of it. It was normal that students were missing. Days with a class at full attendance were rare. “Now that you mention it… I haven`t seen her for days.” Matt agreed. “Klaus has probably daggered her and locked her in a coffin. He does that, when she grates on his nerves.“ Tyler mumbled with a shrug, like it was perfectly normal to lock you siblings away in coffins. Well, for Klaus it probably was.  
   
“Shouldn`t you get to your next class?” Alaric finally ended the discussion. The two boys nodded and left reluctantly. The teacher sent a quick text to Damon, to tell him of Shane`s absence, before the next period started.  
   
###  
   
After school Alaric drove to the boarding house, where the next unwelcome surprise was waiting. Damon greeted him with the words: “I set the witches on Shane, but they can`t find him. Not even together.” Ric took a moment to absorb this information. „And what does that mean?“ he asked finally. „It means the Bennett witch is getting stronger. She`s blocking us.“ Celia answered. The teacher didn`t like the sound of that. He had thought they`d have more time, until Bonnie got control over her powers again. “Is there no other explanation?”  
   
“No, there isn`t. It`s an easy localisation charm. We`ve got Atticus’ blood, so it really shouldn`t be hard at all. But something is blocking us. Or rather someone.” the witch explained. „His blood?“ Ric asked, even though he wasn`t sure he even wanted to know. “From the dagger. I took it. Thought it might be of use.“ Damon chimed in. Ric decided not to comment on that. “So we have to wait for Shane to return?”  
   
“Looks like it, yeah. But don`t worry, we won`t get bored. Liz called earlier to invite us to a council meeting.” Alaric had to bite back a curse. Sitting through yet another boring council meeting was probably the last thing he wanted to do right now. He also had no idea what they`d have to discuss. The last meeting had been only a few days ago. But if Liz invited them, they had to go. Not for the first time he wondered what had made him insist on becoming a council member. But he didn`t have much time to dwell on it, because Damon was already ushering him out of the door.  
   
###  
   
Carol Lockwood met them at the door and asked them in with a smile. “You`re the last arrivals. We`re complete then.” she let them know, while she lead them to the office. After Damon and Alaric had taken their seats, Liz started speaking: “Thank you all for coming here on such short notice. It shouldn`t take long. Mr. Hopkins has asked for this meeting, so I`ll leave it to him to explain further.“  
   
Rudy Hopkins, Bonnie`s father, nodded to the sheriff and got up from his seat. “It`s about the events at the Mystic Grill. Of course I`ve read the newspaper and watched the news report, but I can’t shake the feeling that there is more to the story. Also my daughter had mentioned her concern about this man, who was killed.” Damon rolled his eyes. Just great. Now the witch was setting her daddy on them. He couldn`t help but wonder if she had outed him and Ric as vampires to her father. Right now he wouldn`t put it past her.  
   
“I understand your concern, but I can assure you that we would`ve informed you had the events in any way concerned the council. Like the reports said, Connor Jordan was psychically instable. Authorities are convinced that he killed his wife, even if they couldn`t prove it. After his failed assassination attempt at the church he obviously tried to install a bomb at the Mystic Grill. My deputies managed to stop him in time, but before they could arrest him, he ran into the street and started shooting. Luckily no-one got hurt, but still I had no choice but to kill him. I guess that`s what he wanted all along.” Liz repeated the official version.  
   
“Why do you think he wanted to die? Did he leave a note?” Mr. Hopkins prodded. Sheriff Forbes shook her head. „No, but we found his trailer, a few miles out of the city, completely burned. The forensics said that the fire must`ve been lit about two hours before he showed up at the Grill. You don`t burn down your trailer when you plan on returning there, don´t you think?”  
   
Damon could barely contain a grin. Liz had just pretty much said “fuck you”, but so subtle that Mr. Hopkins couldn`t complain. She really was a cool woman. “Was that all or are there other things you wanted to talk about?” she asked overly friendly. Mr Hopkins had a hard time not showing that he was pissed. “Well, there is one more thing. Although it doesn`t really concern the council. Only two members of it.” Mr. Hopkins eyes moved to the two vampires and Damon was suddenly sure that Bonnie had told him.  
   
Liz obviously thought the same thing. “We´re all friends here, are we not? I`m sure you can talk in front of all of us.” she suggested. “Yes, maybe it does concern all of us in a way.” Carol agreed and Damon was really grateful to the two women. “Well, if you insist.” Mr. Hopkins shrugged, but looked straight at Damon and Ric anyway. “It concerns your… relationship.” He said the word like it had a foul taste and Damon breathed a sigh of relief. He didn`t know that they were vampires. He was just a homophobe.  
   
“I guess you`re both adults and what you do behind closed doors is up to you. But this open display is… inacceptable. You`re a teacher, Mr. Saltzman. You`re someone our children look up to, someone they trust. Please think of the impression you give them.” Damon could feel Ric tensing next to him. He knew that the teacher hated it, when other people judged him. “I guess I give the impression that I love Damon. And I don`t know what`s wrong about that.” he answered surprisingly calm. “You were married, right Mr. Hopkins? Did you never kiss your wife in public?“  
   
„Well, yes but… you`re both men.“ Mr. Hopkins pointed out. “Yeah, I´ve already noticed.” Alaric commented drily, causing the others to laugh. “And I guess you`ve already noticed that we´re not living in the 16th century any more. Homosexuality is no disease.” the teacher continued. Mr. Hopkins looked like his head was about to explode. “Your private life is your thing. But do you have to show it so openly?”  
   
“I`m not going to hide how I feel. If I want to kiss my boyfriend I´ll do just that. And it doesn´t matter whether we`re at home, at the Mystic Grill or in Disneyland. Aside from you no-one seemed bothered so far. And even if it bothers someone, it`s our life, like you said so fittingly. That`s none of your concern.” Alaric growled. Damon was having a blast. Usually he would tell this homophobic idiot where to stick his opinion, but right now he was having too much fun watching Ric tell him off, so he decided to leave it to his boyfriend.  
   
“I don´t really see your problem here, Mr. Hopkins.” Carol suddenly chimed in. “It`s the 21st century and I believe the people in our town are open-minded. I see no harm in what Damon and Alaric are doing.” Damon`s grin got even bigger. Okay, Carol was a pretty cool woman as well. He really hadn`t expected that much support from her. Judging by the look on Ric`s face, he hadn`t either.  
   
“Am I really the only one here who sees a danger to our youth? What about you, Dr. Fell? It must pain you to see them together.” Meredith smiled. “No, why should it? Alaric is a good friend and I think it`s wonderful to see him happy.” she assured. Somehow Damon would`ve preferred if she had acted like the jealous ex-girlfriend. This friendly understanding made it harder to hate her. “And as far as our youth is concerned, I believe they see worse things on television or the internet every day. What´s wrong with two men in love with each other?” the doctor added.   
   
Finally Bonnie`s father seemed to understand that he was on his own here. “All right. If that`s your opinion we should end this discussion right here. Have a nice day.” He stormed out and Damon couldn`t contain his laughter any more. Even if it got him a jab to the ribs from Ric. “Thanks for your support.” the teacher said sincerely. Carol shrugged it off. “Anytime. So.. who wants to stay for drinks?“  
   
Damon and Ric declined and left the three women to it. “You were strangely silent in there.” Alaric remarked while they went to the door. “It was more fun to let you talk. You were… awesome.” the dark-haired vampire had to admit. “Calm and professional. Really fucking hot.” Ric chuckled. „Thanks. I just hate people telling me how to live my life.“ They left the house and walked towards Ric´s car. A few feet away Rudy Hopkins was standing next to his car, talking on his cell phone. Damon heard him muttering something about fags and noticed the calculating smile on Ric`s lips.  
   
Seconds later he found himself pressed with his back to the car, while Alaric`s lips claimed his in a rough kiss. Over the teacher´s shoulder he could see Mr. Hopkins dropping the phone in shock. He grinned into the kiss, closed his eyes and let his hands roam over Ric`s broad back provocatively. A moment later a car drove off hastily. Alaric pulled away and Damon laughed. “That was very naughty. I`m thrilled.” he commented. „Guess you`re rubbing off on me.“ Ric answered with a shrug, opening the car door.  
   
Damon flopped down in the passenger seat. He wouldn`t have minded staying a little longer and making out in front of Meredith. Couldn`t hurt to show her who Ric belonged to. Instead they drove to the Mystic Grill, to celebrate their little victory over Bonnie`s dad with a few glasses of bourbon.  
   
Once there they took their usual seats at the bar and discussed Rudy Hopkins once again. “Stupid, homophobic shit.” Damon grumbled. „I was surprised that Carol, Liz and Meredith stuck up for us like that. Especially Liz. Considering her past.” Ric murmured. „Yeah, they always manage to surprise us, don`t they. Although I was mostly surprised about your ex.“ Damon admitted and hoped he didn`t sound too jealous. Ric smirk told him he did sound jealous. “Like Meredith said – we`re friends.”  
   
Damon decided to make sure that this friendship didn`t get too close, just to be on the safe side, but didn`t comment further.

###

Anna glanced at the door of the Grill when Alaric and Damon entered. Both looked very pleased with something. Anna waved to them and watched as they took seats at the bar, before she concentrated on April again. "Why don´t you just ask him out. Suggest going to the movies." The brunette shook her head. "I can`t. What if he says no? I`d never live it down."

„If he says no I`ll compel him to forget. Jeremy said he doesn`t take vervain. It would be easy. Come on, you`ve got nothing to lose here.“ Anna tried to talk her friend into it. But April was still hesitant. „I don`t know. Doesn`t sound fair to him.“ she muttered. „Okay. But think about it. The offer stands.“ the vampire assured. „Okay, I`ll think about it.“ April promised, before excusing herself, to got the bathroom. „I`ll order two more cokes, okay?“ Anna suggested and the other girl nodded.  
   
„Did I just hear right? April knows you`re a vampire?“ Alaric asked, when she moved to stand next to him at the bar. „April knows pretty much everything. We didn`t think it would be fair to keep her in the dark anymore. Besides she`s my friend. And she really took it in stride.“ Anna explained. Both men looked surprised, but Jeremy, who had just appeared to bring their drinks, assured them that April could keep a secret.  
   
„She`s my friend.“ Anna repeated stubbornly. She was a little proud of that fact. She may have lost her mother forever, but for the first time after decades of loneliness she had something like a family. She had a hot boyfriend and even a good friend. And she enjoyed just being a normal girl for once, without making plans or corrupting idiots to do her dirty work.

She also knew that Jeremy would do anything for her. But not because she forced him. Because he loved her. And she also knew that she could trust April with her secrets. It was the main reason why she wanted to help the other girl get together with her secret crush.

„We could go to the movies with April and Matt tomorrow. What do you think?“ she asked Jeremy, who just rolled his eyes in response. „No. While it´s really cute that you want to play matchmaker, I suggest you leave me out of it. Besides... I`m sure Matt doesn`t feel like a double-date. Caroline once forced him to go on a double-date with Elena and Stefan and it turned out horrible.“

„But maybe we could..“ Anna tried again, only to be interrupted by her boyfriend. „I said no. They´ll manage without our help.“ Anna pouted. She was sure they wouldn´t manage without help. And she only wanted to help. But Jeremy had this stubborn look that told her she would get nowhere right now.  
   
So she gave in for now and decided to try again later. Maybe when they were in bed and Jeremy wasn`t fully coherent. „Alright, if you insist. We`ll take two more cokes, yeah?“ Jeremy nodded and she went back to her seat, where April was already waiting. „Jeremy is bringing our drinks in a minute.“ Anna promised and their discussion turned back to the latest math-test.


	22. Chapter 22

Damon and Alaric spent the night at the Gilberts and the teacher was awake early enough to make breakfast the next morning. Guiltily he mused that he left Elena and Jeremy to fend for themselves most of the time. He was their guardian after all. He should make sure they didn`t go to bed too late, did their homework and didn`t leave the house without breakfast. But he often didn`t even know where they spent the night or what they got up to all day. He really was the worst guardian ever.  
   
The fact that only Jeremy showed up for breakfast was further prove of that. “Anna spent the night at April`s.” the teen let him know, while accepting a mug of coffee from Ric (the teacher had finally learned how to use that damn machine). The surprise was obviously showing on his face, because Jeremy explained: “Anna didn`t have a lot of friends in her life. First she was always around her mother and while Pearl was in the tomb Anna`s whole purpose was finding a way to free her. She didn`t have time for friends. And April just returned. She doesn`t really know anyone here. I think they`re good for each other.”  
   
“As long as she doesn`t eat the girl.” Damon commented, finally joining them in the kitchen. Jeremy rolled his eyes and refrained from answering. He was obviously learning how to deal with the dark-haired vampire. At least Alaric thought so. The teacher shook his head with a fond smile, when Damon stole his coffee after greeting him with a kiss. Damon took one sip, grimaced and reached for the sugar. Ric grabbed another mug and joined the other two at the table.  
   
They ate quietly, until Jeremy suddenly asked: “Can you give me a ride to school? I lent my car to Anna.” Ric looked surprised. „Does she even have a license?“ The question got him an annoyed look from the teen. “Of course she does.” The teacher wondered how vampires got drivers licenses. Did they just compel someone?  
   
“I´ve got an old buddy in New York, who can get you anything you need – driver’s license, birth certificate, even school records and stuff like that. I`ll introduce you when you need a new passport.” Damon murmured. “Can you read my thoughts nowadays?” Alaric asked, only half joking. The dark-haired vampire grinned. „No need. I just know you really well. I can almost always tell what you`re thinking.” And Ric believed it. Damon knew him like no-one else.  
   
A few minutes later he ushered Jeremy to the door, not wanting to be late again. “Hey, what about my goodbye kiss?” Damon pouted. Grinning Alaric turned back to his boyfriend. He just wanted to give him a quick peck on the lips, but Damon had other plans. He grabbed Ric`s neck and deepened the kiss. Both were a little breathless when they finally broke apart.  
   
Jeremy had been waiting by the door. Ric didn`t dare to meet his eyes, when they left the house and got into his car. After a few minutes of driving in silence he finally dared to ask: “Jer… does it bother you, to see me with Damon?” He could practically feel the teen`s eyes on himself, but kept his gaze fixed firmly on the road. “No, why should it?” Jeremy asked clearly puzzled. „Well, we`re… pretty open about our relationship. And I`m afraid that … I`m a total failure as guardian.”  
   
“You`re a great guardian.” Jeremy protested. Ric risked a glance at him and thought he looked honest. Still didn`t make him feel better. “Maybe in your eyes, but… realistically... I let you get away with anything. I have no idea what you`re doing all day, where you`re going, when you`re getting home. If you`re getting home at all. You had to wake me so I wouldn`t be late at school, two days ago. It should be the other way around. And to top it off I ran past you buck naked.”  
   
Jeremy`s laughter didn`t exactly make him feel better. “So maybe you`re a little chaotic. Lately everything`s been a little chaotic. But Elena and I .. we`re no little kids, who need supervision and someone to tuck them into bed. You`re always there when we need you. You protect us. That`s what matters, right?” he pointed out and Ric had to agree. “And I`ve seen other naked guys in my life, so don´t worry about that.” Jeremy added with a grin.  
   
Okay, it would need more than that to make him feel awkward. Especially looking back at their history. Jeremy had barged in on the first night Ric had spent with Jenna. And he`d also caught the teacher jerking off in the shower once. Which only served as further prove that he wasn`t good at being a guardian. He was no role model. At least it was usually Jeremy who caught him in those awkward situations and not Elena. Although she had seen him hung-over and / or clad only in boxers more than once.   
   
The teacher was glad when they reached the school and he could shake off those thoughts. “Thanks for the ride. I`ll spend the night at the boarding house and later I have a shift at the Grill. Just so you know what I`ll be doing all day.” Jeremy let him know with a grin. “Hey, no need to get cheeky. I could ground you, you know?” Ric threatened, but Jeremy only laughed and wandered off. Ric shook his head with a grin and went to his classroom.  
   
###  
   
The day was another boring one, without any big incidents. Some students were missing from class, most of them without an excuse, but that was nothing new. The usual idiots were passing notes or playing with their phones. Only Elena seemed a bit jittery today. Stefan was watching her the whole time, spiking Alaric`s nervousness. He decided to talk to the brunette after school, find out what was bothering her. Without Stefan watching over his shoulder, if possible. Bonnie was skipping class and Ric felt a little guilty, because he was almost glad about it.  
   
Since it was Friday all students rushed out of the classroom as soon as the bell rang. Ric watched them leave, already knowing that at least half of them would completely forget about homework. He stopped at the secretariat, where Marcy, the school secretary told him that Mr. Hopkins had filed a complaint against him. “The principal has an appointment with him on Monday. Don`t worry, she`s going to tell him where to stick his complaint. Such a homophobic asshole.” Marcy`s younger brother was gay. She had told Ric on Monday how great it was of him to be so open about his relationship and that she would`ve introduced him to her brother month ago, had she known he was bisexual.  
   
Ric thanked her for the warning and they talked some before the teacher took his leave. The hallways were empty and eerily silent, when he made his way towards the exit. But suddenly a noise made him stop and listen. He heard two voices, one male and one female, and they were arguing. But what made him turn and run into the direction of the noise was the fact that he recognized the female voice as Elena´s.  
   
Only seconds later he reached the badly lit hallway that led to the back entrance and spied Elena, who was shouting at a dark haired man. Professor Shane. “Leave my brother alone, you sick bastard!” the brunette ordered. Alaric hurried over to her. “What happened?” Elena looked close to tears. „He threatened Jeremy.“ she sobbed. „I merely talked to the boy. Something was stolen from my office.” Shane defended himself. „My brother is no thief!“ Elena screamed. She looked ready to pounce on the professor.  
   
Ric put himself in the middle, to keep Elena from attacking Shane. “She`s right. Jeremy is no thief. Why should he take something from your office?“ he wanted to know. “I wasn`t suspecting him. I suspected his little vampire friend.” Shane hissed. „He said Anna was only using Jeremy. He claimed she was compelling him.“ Elena chimed in, trying to get past Ric and lunge at Shane. The teacher pushed her back. “I only told the boy the truth. And he attacked me.“ Shane claimed. „He`s trying to get Jeremy expelled from school.“ Elena was bordering on hysteric.  
   
“Don`t worry, I`ll talk to the principal. He won´t get expelled.” Alaric promised. “You`re going to compel her, you mean.” Shane spat. Alaric gave him a dark look. „If necessary.“ he answered coldly. Shane looked disgusted, which only heatened the teacher`s anger. He took a menacing step closer. “Leave Elena and Jeremy alone. Those two are my responsibility. And I take that responsibility very seriously.“ he growled. Satisfied he noticed the fear in Shane´s eyes, his racing heart-beat. The professor was scared of him, even if he tried not to let it show.  
   
“Are you threatening me?” he asked. Ric took another step closer and no longer tried to fight the anger. His fangs broke through, the capillaries beneath his eyes engorged. “Yes, I am.” Shane`s heart was racing and Alaric could hear the blood rushing through his veins all too clearly. For a second the urge to attack was nearly overwhelming. Ric`s eyes were drawn to Shane`s carotid artery…  
   
Suddenly a fiery pain exploded inside his head, made him tumble backwards. He pressed both hands to his temples and sank to his knees with a groan. The pain was worse than anything he`d ever felt before. It felt like his head was splitting from the inside. Vaguely he could hear Elena screaming in panic. “Bonnie, stop! Please, stop. Bonnie, please!“ Ric tried to look at the witch, but his sight was blurring. He could only make out vague, dark shapes and closed his eyes, because they burned. The thundering inside his head was getting worse. He felt nauseous, feared for a second he might pass out any moment.  
   
And then the pain was gone, just as suddenly as it had come. Ric opened his eyes and blinked a few times. Bonnie was lying lifeless on the floor. Stefan was standing about a foot behind her, looking shocked. And Damon was suddenly next to Ric. “Damon, what did you do?!” Elena shouted and Ric flinched at her shrill voice. “Oh relax. She´s only unconscious.“ Damon grumbled. Ric got to his feet slowly and gratefully accepted his boyfriend´s steadying hand. “Are you okay?” the dark-haired vampire asked genuinely worried. “Yeah, I`m getting there.” the teacher assured, once he´d found his voice. The pain was gone, but he still felt a little disoriented.  
   
„So this is what that aneurysm thing feels like? Not something I`d like to try again.” he murmured jokingly. Damon was stroking his neck, looking completely out of depth. Stefan was watching Ric worriedly as well. The sound of quickly retreating footsteps made all four vampires turn around. Shane had used the momentary distraction to run for the exit. Elena growled and chased after him. Stefan called after her, but she ignored him, so he had no choice but to follow her.  
   
Alaric`s eyes were drawn to Bonnie`s still form. “What did you…?” Damon held a syringe up. “I still had the sedative that we wanted to use on the hunter. No idea how long it`s going to knock out a crazy witch.” he mumbled, meeting the teacher`s eyes. “I wanted to snap her neck. And if she ever attacks you again, I will.” Ric had no doubt that Damon would make good on that promise. But he also knew that he couldn`t say anything to change his mind, so he didn`t even try. “Thanks for saving me.” he whispered instead, putting his forehead against Damon`s.  
   
They didn`t have much time to get their breath back. All too soon a scream made both of them jump. “Was that…” Alaric started. “Shane.” Damon confirmed. They exchanged a quick glance and then ran to the back entrance. Out behind the school they were met with a gruesome sight. Elena was clutching at Shane, who looked like a giant ragdoll in her arms. Her fangs were deep in his throat and she was feeding greedily, while Stefan tried in vain to make her stop. “Elena, stop. Please, Elena. You`re killing him. Stop.“ the younger Salvatore begged helplessly, but she didn`t seem to hear him. Damon and Ric hurried to his aid, but it took them a few more, precious seconds to finally make Elena release the professor. When she looked up her mouth was bloody and there was a wild look in her eyes.  
   
Shane slid to the floor and the thud of his body hitting concrete finally shook the brunette out of her trance. With wide eyes she stared down at the lifeless body, shaking her head in disbelief, whimpering: “No. Oh god, please. No.” Stefan took a step towards her and tried to take her hand, but she pushed him away and sped off. Alaric cast a sceptical look at Shane. He could hear no heart-beat. Damon was thinking the same thing. He gave the body a kick and nodded, like he`d just confirmed his suspicion. “He`s dead.” he finally said out loud what they all knew.


	23. Chapter 23

Stefan looked completely horrified. “Oh my god, Elena. We need to…“ Alaric gently squeezed his shoulder. “Don`t worry, Stefan. I`ll find her. Take care of Shane`s body, okay?“ The younger Salvatore was still staring at the corpse and didn`t even seem to understand the words. Damon nodded and watched his boyfriend take off towards the parking lot. “Do you have your car here?” he then asked his brother. Stefan just gave him a puzzled look. “Your car, Stefan. I walked here and we need to get rid of the corpse.“  
   
The younger one nodded hesitantly. “At the parking lot.” Damon cast a sceptical look at the corpse. It was Friday, which meant the grounds should be empty by now, but they couldn´t risk being seen carrying Shane off. “Okay, wait here. I`ll see if I can find something to cover him with.” He was about to head back into the school building when he suddenly remembered Bonnie lying unconscious in the hallway. He couldn`t just leave her there, even if she did deserve it. Sighing Damon pulled out his phone, scrolled through the contacts and called Caroline.  
   
“Hey Damon. Something wrong?” the blonde answered. “We need your help. Bonnie snapped and attacked Ric…“ He didn`t get any further, because Caroline interrupted him. “Oh my god. She did what? What happened? Is he okay?“ Damon rolled his eyes in annoyance. „Just shut up and listen.“ he ordered harshly. „Yes, he`s okay. I knocked the witch out with the sedative that was meant for the hunter. She`s sleeping in the school hallway and probably won`t wake up any time soon. Which is the reason for my call. Can you come and pick her up? We have other things to take care of.”  
   
“Yeah, of course. I`ll come.” Okay, sometimes Blondie could be really useful. And she was always there when you needed her, Damon had to admit. “Good. I`ll put Bonnie in Shane`s office. Bring her to the boarding house.“ Her father surely wouldn`t be pleased if Caroline brought her home. “What if Shane shows up?” Caroline asked. The older Salvatore looked at the corpse. „Shane won`t be a problem any longer. Long story. I`ll tell you later.“ He could practically feel that she was dying to prod, but she didn`t. “I`m on my way.” was all she said.  
   
Damon put the phone into his pocket again and went back into the building. Bonnie was still lying where she had fallen. He slung the witch over his shoulder and carried her to Shane`s office, where he put her down on the floor. Why should he care if she was comfortable or not? Afterwards he searched the surrounding rooms until he found an old blanket that was covering a desk. He took it and went back outside, where Stefan was still standing next to the corpse, looking lost.  
   
Damon wrapped Shane up in the blanket and slung him over his shoulder. If they would encounter anyone he`d just say he was disposing old school equipment for Ric. After a few steps he noticed that his brother wasn`t following him. He was still standing there, staring off into space. “Come on, Stefan. Snap out of it already!” The younger one blinked at him. „Sorry. It`s just…“ Damon sighed. „I know. We can`t undo what happened. Help me get rid of the corpse. Then I`ll take you home and we wait for Ric and Elena. Okay?”  
   
Stefan nodded hesitantly and led the way to his car. They put Shane on the backseat and Damon took the keys from Stefan. He wouldn`t let his brother drive while he was like that. The younger Salvatore handed them over without protest. Damon drove to an old quarry, where they unwrapped the corpse and threw him down. “Do you think this is such a good idea?” Stefan asked (after Shane had taken flight – really helpful). “We don`t have shovels, which means we can`t bury him somewhere in the woods. This place is deserted. And if someone does find him, it`ll look like an accident.” Damon argued. His brother nodded, so they headed home, where Caroline and Tyler were waiting on the couch.  
   
“Bonnie is upstairs in a guestroom. She´s still sleeping.” the blonde let them know. Damon was a little annoyed that she had decided to bring her wolf-pet, but decided to be nice for now. “So, what happened?” Caroline finally asked. Since Stefan was busy staring off into space again, Damon recounted the last few hours.  
   
He told them that he had went to school to meet with Ric, but had run into his brother first. Stefan had heard about the confrontation between Jeremy and professor Shane and had been scared Elena might confront Shane. The two brothers had gone to Shane`s office, where they`d found a chaotic scene in the hallway.

Bonnie, who luckily had her back towards them and hadn`t noticed their approach since she was concentrating on Alaric, who was on the ground, writhing in pain, while Shane stood to the side, laughing his ass off and Elena pleaded with the witch to stop. Damon had reacted instantly and knocked Bonnie out with one of the sedatives. He went on about Shane trying to escape, Elena following and finally killing him, before running away. Him and Stefan getting rid of the corpse, while Ric went to fetch Elena.  
   
While Damon was talking his brother had started pacing nervously. “That`s awful. Poor Elena.” Caroline whispered. Stefan stopped for a moment to stare at her, before continuing his pacing. He was starting to grate on Damon`s nerves. “Sit down, Stefan.” he ordered. The younger one looked at him and then flopped bonelessly into a chair. “It`s all my fault. I tried to help her and I did everything wrong.” he sobbed, burying his face in his hands. Damon rolled his eyes and found Caroline staring at him. She was gesticulating wildly, trying to get him to comfort his brother.  
   
With a resigned sigh he sat down on the armrest of Stefan`s chair and put an arm around his shoulders. “You wanted to help. Okay, you did it all wrong and fucked it up, but… you had the best intentions. She understands. She won`t blame you.” Stefan leaned against him. „But if something happens to her… Oh god, what if she harms herself now?“ he gasped suddenly and tried to get up. Damon pushed him back down. “Nothing`s going to happen to her. And she won`t do anything stupid either. She`s just… confused. Ric`s going to take care of her. He`ll bring her home.“ he promised. Stefan looked at him hopefully. „You really believe that?“  
   
„Of course I do. Let Ric handle this.“ Damon urged. He was sure that his boyfriend knew what he was doing. Even if Ric always insisted that he was horrible as guardian.  “And what do we do then?” Stefan suddenly asked. „I can`t continue to force animal blood on her. But I can`t teach her to drink human blood either.” Good, at least he was starting to see sense. That was a start. „Maybe Damon could teach her.“ Tyler spoke up.  
   
The dark-haired vampire gave him a withering look. “Bad idea, wolf-boy.” He couldn`t teach Elena the same way he had taught Ric. Elena was essentially a naïve, nice girl, while Ric had a darker side as well. And Stefan wouldn`t be thrilled about him teaching Elena. Now that he and his brother had finally reconciled he wouldn´t do anything to jeopardize that. Which meant they needed someone else. “How about vampire Barbie?” he suggested. Caroline looked shocked. „Me? But.. but I can`t…“ she protested. „Why not? You`re handling the bloodlust well. And you haven`t killed someone for ages.“  
   
She blinked at Damon in surprise, but suddenly a smile spread over her face. “Hey, was that a compliment?” The older Salvatore quickly shook his head. “Merely an observation. So?” Caroline started playing with her hair nervously. „Well, I guess… I can try, if Elena wants me to.“ she finally murmured. “Good. Then that`s decided.” Damon said and patted his brother on the back. Stefan nodded absently, without taking his eyes off the entryway. The older Salvatore knew what he was thinking and he too was starting to wonder what was taking Ric so long.  
   
###  
   
When Alaric reached the parking lot, Elena was long gone. But the teacher already had a feeling that he knew where he`d find her. He quickly got into his car and drove to Wickery Bridge. Just like he expected, Elena was standing on the bridge, staring down into the water below. Ric got out and went to join her. “I killed him, didn`t I?” Elena asked without looking up. Ric knew that it would be no use lying to her. “Yes, you did.” Elena started sobbing. “I didn`t mean to. It just happened. He… he said mean things. About Jeremy. And about you and I … I just got so angry. And then… I had my teeth in his throat. Just like that. I don`t even know how it happened.”  
   
Ric wordlessly pulled her into his arms. Elena pressed her face into his chest and started crying in earnest. The teacher just stroked her back and murmured soothing words, until she calmed somewhat. “I couldn`t stop.” Elena choked. „I know. It`s okay.“ Ric assured, but she shoved him away and shook her head, bordering on hysteric now. “Nothing`s okay. You don´t understand. Ric, I… I didn´t want to stop. It felt good.“ she admitted.  
   
„I do understand, Elena. I know exactly how you feel. The blood thirst, the hunger… that`s something I have to face every day as well.“ Elena looked at him with wide, tearful eyes, calming a little, so he continued: “Sometimes a student just grates on my nerves, or I`m walking along a hallway and hear someone hissing the word fag behind me. And then I feel this urge to turn around and tear into their throat. Earlier, when Bonnie attacked me, I was about to lunge at Shane myself.”  
   
“Really?” Elena asked in disbelief. „Really. I think that`s something every vampire struggles with. Ask Damon. As long as he`s not trying to be a dick, he`ll tell you the same thing.” Ric assured. “But… how do you handle it? How do you manage to…?“ she asked tentatively. „To hold back?“ Ric shrugged. „By accepting that I`m a vampire and reminding myself every day, that I don`t want to be a monster. It`s totally okay to drink human blood. It`s basically our nature. As long as no-one has to die. As long as I know my limits and know when to stop.“ he explained.  
   
“I know that Stefan only wanted to protect you, but I`m afraid his diet might be the wrong way. You never really handled the animal blood all that well, did you?” Hesitantly Elena shook her head. “It`s disgusting. I have to force myself to drink it and… sometimes it makes me sick.“ she admitted. “Why didn`t you tell Stefan?”  
   
“He was so proud of me. And so happy. I didn`t want to disappoint him.” she mumbled. “But that`s not what this is about, Elena. You can`t go on like this, or today will have been just the beginning. You might end up becoming a ripper. You`ve got to tell him the truth.” She nodded. „I know. But I can`t… I can`t learn from Damon.“ That one Ric had to agree with. Damon`s methods wouldn`t work for Elena. They`d probably only traumatize her. But who could teach her then?  
   
„How about Caroline?“ he asked after racking his brain for a new mentor. Elena shook her head. “She`s too perfect. She never had any problems.“ she protested. „She killed someone the first night after her transition.“ Alaric reminded her. “She knows exactly what you`re going through. And who knows, maybe too perfect is just what you need.”  
   
The brunette thought about it for a moment and finally nodded with a sigh. “Okay. Maybe you`re right. Care won`t mind helping me. She`ll probably set out a 10-step plan first.“ Ric was glad to see a small smile playing about Elena`s lips. “Sounds like a good start. Works for the alcoholics anonymous, right?” he joked. „And now let`s go. Stefan is probably worried sick about you.” Elena suddenly wrapped her arms around him and whispered. „Thank you, Ric.“ He patted her back gently. „Hey, that`s what I`m here for.“ And he meant it. Elena would always be the daughter he´d never have.  
   
###  
   
Stefan jumped up from his seat as soon as he heard the front door. For a second he and Elena just stood in front of each other awkwardly. Then the brunette threw herself into his arms. “I`m so sorry, Elena. It`s all my fault.“ Stefan croaked. „No, it`s not. You only wanted to help me. You didn`t know what would happen.“ she assured. Damon watched the scene in annoyance and mused that those two really deserved each other, with all their melodrama and martyr complex.  
   
“I can`t keep drinking animal blood.” Elena whispered after a while. Stefan nodded. “I know. It was a mistake to make you drink it. Maybe you can.. try blood bags. But… I can`t teach you.“ the younger Salvatore murmured apologetically. “I know. I need someone else to teach me.” Damon rolled his eyes and decided to step in. They were really grating on his nerves. “We thought vampire Barbie might be a good choice.” he told the brunette and was surprised when Ric started chuckling. “I had the same idea.” the teacher explained with a grin and the dark-haired vampire was once again surprised how alike their thoughts were sometimes.  
   
“I`d love to help you, if that`s what you want.” Caroline told Elena. “Yes, that would be great.” the brunette accepted. „Good. Don`t worry, we`ll start slowly. Step by step, okay? I guess I`ll make a plan first…” the blonde mused. Ric and Elena shared a knowing grin. Damon gave the teacher a questioning look, but Ric didn`t elaborate. “How`s Bonnie?” he asked instead. Judging by the guilty look on Elena`s face she had completely forgotten about the witch. “Still asleep upstairs.” Damon answered.  
   
“How long will she be out?” Caroline wanted to know. The older Salvatore shrugged. “No idea. The sedative was meant for a supernatural hunter. So I guess she`ll be out for a while.” They hadn`t even known how long it would have knocked the hunter out. “Do you want me to call Meredith and ask her?” Alaric offered. Damon didn`t like that idea. „Don`t know what good that`ll do. I don`t suppose there are statistics about how long sedatives knock out evil psycho witches.“ he snarked. Stefan gave him a disapproving look, while Alaric only grinned. Great. The teacher had seen right through him and noticed his jealousy. He really needed to stop that.  
   
“Her dad is going to get worried if she doesn`t come home soon.” Caroline pointed out. Damn, she was right about that. That could be a problem. Strangely enough it was Tyler who had a solution. “She`s got her phone with her, right? Why don`t we just send a text to her dad, saying that she`s spending the night at Care´s place?” he suggested. “That`s not such a bad idea. You`re not as stupid as you look, Lockwood.” Damon commented. Ric heaved a resigned sigh. His boyfriend would never learn.  
   
Luckily Tyler wasn`t as easily provoked as he would`ve been a few weeks ago. He simply brushed Damon off with: “Fuck you, Salvatore.” Of course Damon couldn`t keep his mouth shut and had to shoot back: “In your dreams.” Ric shook his head. “Damon, behave.” The dark-haired vampire looked at him with raised eyebrows. “And what if I don`t?” he challenged. Ric was all too aware of the others watching them, but didn`t want to back down. “Then you`re sleeping alone tonight.”  
   
“You`re threatening me with no sex?” Damon sounded pretty shocked, much to the other`s amusement. The teacher only shrugged. “That`s not fair.” Damon pouted. He and Ric stared at each other, until the dark-haired vampire finally sighed in annoyance. “Fine. I´ll be good. For now.“ he relented. Alaric thanked him with a small kiss. It was only a small victory, that much he knew. Tomorrow at the latest Damon would do something stupid again or anger the wrong person. Probably sooner than that. But if the teacher was really honest with himself, he wouldn`t really want to change his boyfriend. After all, he had fallen in love with this idiot.  
   
“Okay, I´ll get Bonnie`s phone and send that text.” Caroline decided. “And what will we do with the rest of the day? Want to head to the Grill?” Stefan asked, but Elena immediately declined. “I can`t be around people today. After what happened…” She didn`t have to finish that sentence. Everyone knew what she was afraid of. And Ric also knew that it would take her some time to get over the guilt she felt for killing Shane. Hopefully Caroline could also help her with that.  
   
“Okay, then how about ordering pizza and watching movies?” the younger Salvatore suggested. Much to Damon´s annoyance the other kids loved that idea. Only minutes later his living room was cramped with four supernatural teenagers, who were arguing loudly over what movie to watch first.  
   
“You`ll manage without us, right?” Alaric asked, obviously not in the mood for a night of watching movies with the kids either.  Stefan assured him that they wouldn`t need supervision, so Damon and Ric headed to the Gilbert house. They met Colin and Celia on their way to the car. The witches were just returning to the boarding house after spending the day doing god-knows-what. The two vampires quickly informed them about the latest happenings and Colin promised to have an eye on the Bennett witch.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the final chapter. Hope you like my idea of how Shane managed to control Bonnie. Oh and there will be an Epiloge.

When Alaric and Damon returned to the boarding house early next morning, Bonnie was still out of it. Elena was getting worried, so the teacher called Meredith. She told him that it was a strong sedative, that would need time to stop working. But she asked Ric to call her again, should Bonnie not wake up by early afternoon.  
   
Luckily another call wasn`t necessary. It was about noon and the whole group was gathered in the library when Bonnie finally came stumbling downstairs. Damon and Stefan were engaged in a game of chess, Alaric was preparing his lessons for the upcoming week and Caroline was showing the 5-step-plan she had come up with overnight to Elena. Jeremy and Anna had settled down on the floor and were doing homework, while Colin and Celia sat in a corner, pouring over some old books.  
   
Damon was the first to notice Bonnie. He had just looked up to grin at his brother (“Checkmate, Stef.”) when he noticed a movement at the stairs. He froze automatically. “Bonnie…” All eyes turned to the young witch, who was leaning heavily against the wall, still looking stoned. “What happened?” she asked in a slurred whisper. “I put you to sleep for a while.” the older Salvatore answered sarcastically. She only gave him a puzzled look, so he tried again: "I gave you a sedative." But she still didn´t seem to understand. “You tried to fry Ric`s brain, remember?”  
   
Bonnie shook her head. “No.. I … I wouldn´t.“ she protested, now looking completely lost. “I was about to attack professor Shane. You protected him. Don´t you remember?” Alaric spoke up. The witch blinked, stared off into space, like she was trying to remember. “Professor Shane…” she repeated slowly, almost as if she was talking to herself. “He wanted to help me. I was… in his office and he… gave me tea.” she murmured, like she only now remembered. Damon and Alaric exchanged a worried look. Something was seriously wrong with the witch.  
   
Celia obviously thought the same thing, because she went to stand in front of Bonnie. “He gave you tea?” Bonnie nodded. „In his office. We talked and we… drank tea. He helped me.“ she repeated. „What kind of tea?“ the older witch prodded. „I don´t know. He never said… Herbs.“ She blinked, clearly not understanding the question. „Who are you?“ Celia sighed. „I should`ve known.“  
   
„Should`ve known what?“ Damon chimed in. „Shane drugged her. That`s how he managed to control her.“ Celia explained. “Wait a second, Shane put drugs into her tea?” the older Salvatore asked. “No. The tea was the drug. I really should`ve known. Atticus told me that he`d spent a few month visiting a shaman. He must`ve taught Atticus some knowledge about herbs. The tea made her weak, easy to manipulate. But she had to drink it regularly. He couldn`t give her more yesterday. Probably also not the day before. That`s why the effect wears off.”  
   
Shocked silence followed her words. Alaric could practically see that Elena and Caroline were blaming themselves for not noticing anything. Well, he was blaming himself as well, thinking back to the jars of herbs he and Damon had seen in Shane´s office. They hadn`t thought anything by it. If they had taken samples and showed them to Celia, then maybe they would`ve managed to break Shane`s hold over Bonnie days ago.  
   
The young witch looked scared and completely lost, seemingly not understanding what was going on. Celia motioned for her brother to take over and calm Bonnie. Colin took her place, while Celia sat back down to watch. “Hey, my name is Colin. We already met, but you probably don´t remember. I want to help you. I`m not going to hurt you.“ he promised quietly. 

“I can clean your mind from the poison. But you`ll have to trust me, Bonnie. I want you to close your eyes and relax. Can you do that for me?” Bonnie looked into his eyes and nodded hesitantly. „Okay, great. Close your eyes. Take a deep breath and just relax.“ Colin instructed. Bonnie did as told and Damon was once again surprised at the power Colin held over others. The warlock always seemed to disappear next to the overwhelming presence of his dark sister. It was easy to forget how powerful he was. He often seemed to forget it himself.  
   
He gently put his hands to Bonnie`s temples and started whispering soft words in a strange language. Bonnie gasped, but didn`t try to push him away. After about a minute Colin took his hands away. He looked exhausted. When the younger witch opened her eyes they were alert and awake. She gave the warlock a surprised look. But then surprise turned to shock. “Oh my god, what did I do?” She buried her head in her hands and started sobbing.  
   
Caroline and Elena were instantly at her side, hugging her. “It`s okay. It wasn`t your fault.” the blonde tried to comfort her. “Yeah, Shane used you.” Elena added. Still they couldn`t keep the witch from breaking down, crying and apologizing over and over. The two other girls kept assuring her that it wasn`t her fault and joined in with the crying. Damon had to bite his tongue to refrain from commenting.  
   
Once the three girls had calmed somewhat, Colin managed to get Bonnie to tell them about her time with Shane. He had written to her a  couple of weeks ago, asking if she wanted some stuff her grams had left at college. She had said yes, so he`d sent her everything. Afterwards they had kept in touch by e-mail and soon phone-calls followed. When Shane showed up in Mystic Falls he had offered to help Bonnie with her magic. At that point she had felt completely alone and misunderstood. She had trusted Shane, so she had accepted his offer without thinking.  
   
At their first meeting he had started serving the tea. Bonnie hadn`t thought anything by it. It had looked like he was drinking it as well, so she hadn`t been suspicious. She had wondered about the fact that he`d been able to hypnotize her, but his methods seemed to work, so she had pushed the thought away. He had always been so nice to her, listening to her problems and suggesting solutions and soon it was completely natural to trust him blindly and do whatever he asked. She had started drifting away from her friends, trusting Shane more than them. He had made her believe no-one understood her. That was probably also the reason he had baited Jeremy into attacking him.  
   
Bonnie even admitted that she`d written the death-list for Connor Jordan, prompting another round of tears and apologies. Finally Elena confessed that she`d killed Shane. And once again all three girls cried. Damon was beyond annoyed by now and Ric looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here.   
   
In the end it was Jeremy who interrupted the girls. “Bonnie…” She looked at him with tears streaming down her face, obviously ready to launch into yet another apology, but Jeremy`s eyes were fixed on a point behind her. “Your grams is here.” Bonnie choked on a sob. „Oh grams, I`m so sorry. I never wanted to disappoint you.” she sniffed. “She says it wasn`t your fault and you never disappointed her. She wants you to know that she`s okay. The witches didn`t harm her. They just wanted to scare you.” Jeremy passed the message on. Bonnie sobbed in relief. Jeremy listened to her grandmother, before nodding and continuing: „She wants me to tell you not to give up. You`re strong. You`ll make it through this. She`s always with you. And she`s proud of you.“  
   
„Great. Now that we got that cleared up and Bonnie is no longer playing the wicked witch of the west, we can go back to normal, right?” Damon finally chimed in. The comment earned him a few dark glares, but when Alaric started laughing the others soon joined in. The storm had passed. For now.


	25. Epiloge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the end. Hope it`s not too sappy. Well,it probably is. I just can`t help it. I love happy endings.
> 
> Thanks again for all the lovely comments.

3 month later  
   
“Can you tell me again why we had to volunteer as chaperones?” Damon wanted to know, standing in front of the mirror, buttoning up his shirt. Alaric moved behind him and lightly kissed his neck. “Because it`s a school dance, Damon. And looking back at the history of school dances in Mystic Falls, some catastrophe is bound to happen tonight. They always end in chaos, death and destruction.” The dark-haired vampire rolled his eyes. „Don`t be so pessimistic, Ric. What´s the worst that can happen? The originals are gone, witchy is back to her normal, bitchy self and nothing tried to kill us for weeks.“  
   
„Exactly. It´s been way too quiet. The next catastrophe must be waiting just around the corner.“ Ric pointed out. “You`re paranoid.” was Damon´s only comment. “Maybe. But you`ll never know. Maybe Klaus comes back to wreak havoc.“ Damon turned around and gave his boyfriend a sceptical look. “I don`t think so. Blondie turning him down was pretty hard on him. And he`s got plans in New Orleans. Elijah told us.“ he reminded, before adding with a shrug: „Almost a pity, you know? Now that we just started befriending him.”  
   
He was talking about an evening at the Mystic Grill. Klaus had joined them at the bar without comment. He had paid for the drinks so they had accepted his presence and continued drinking in silence. After a while the original had started waxing poetic about life, love and women. It had been rather comical. Especially when he`d put an arm around Ric`s shoulders and mumbled: “You know what, mate? You got the right idea. Who needs women anyway?”  
   
In the end they had even dropped the completely wasted hybrid off at home, where Elijah had opened the door, shaken his head sadly and muttered: “Oh Niklaus.” with a resigned sigh. He had thanked them and led his brother inside, while Klaus declared loudly he would become gay now. Damon still found the whole thing hilarious.  
   
“You do remember that he threatened to rip our heads off, should we ever tell anyone, once he was sober again?” Ric reminded his boyfriend. Damon only shrugged. Empty threats. But still they hadn`t told anyone. Who would´ve even believed them? A few days later Elijah had showed up at the boarding house to thank them again for taking care of his brother and to say goodbye. He had told them that he and his siblings would be moving to New Orleans. Well, Kol had already been back in his coffin, dagger firmly in his chest, by that time. And no-one had seen Rebekkah for weeks, but then again, no-one really cared.  
   
Klaus had also taken a few of his remaining hybrids with him. Thanks to Tyler all of them had broken the sire-bond now, but some of them had decided to follow Klaus anyways. They probably didn`t know what else to do with their lives. Two hybrids had stayed in Mystic Falls and were now looking to Tyler as their alpha. Damon didn`t know why that amused him so much. The other hybrids had scattered.  
   
“Come on, Damon. We`ve got to get going.” Ric´s voice shook him out of his thoughts. Grumbling he followed his boyfriend to the waiting car and they drove to the school. The gym was decorated with colourful lights and garlands, music was playing loudly and the students were standing around the table with drinks or crowded on the dance floor. Here and there a few bored looking parents and teachers were playing chaperone.  
   
Alaric talked to a few colleagues, before joining Damon next to the dance floor. The dark-haired vampire was watching his brother, who was whirling Elena around on the dance-floor. “If I didn`t know any better, I`d say Stefan is drunk. He´s never this easy-going.” he commented with a smirk. Alaric had to agree. Elena too, seemed happy and carefree like she hadn`t in weeks. Thanks to Caroline`s patient tutoring she was handling her bloodlust really well now. The two girls had even teamed up to help Stefan finally get control over his bloodlust and urges. Damon hoped with all his might they would succeed.  
   
Alaric`s eyes turned to Caroline, who was dancing with Tyler and then moved on to Anna and Jeremy, who stood to the side engaged in conversation with Matt and April. Anna had really managed to hook her friend up with the blond barkeeper and the four of them had already survived two double-dates that hadn`t ended in complete chaos.   
   
The teacher flinched when Damon suddenly poked him in the ribs and pointed to the other side of the room. “Looks like witchy and the new guy are having fun.” the older Salvatore commented. Bonnie was just laughing at something the blond boy next to her was saying. “Looks like it.” Ric agreed with a smile. The blond boy, Craig Adams, had moved to Mystic Falls with his parents about four weeks ago. Bonnie had collided with him in the hallway on his first day and it had been love at first sight. For Craig at least. It had taken a lot of coaxing from Elena and Caroline until the witch finally agreed to go on a date with him.   
   
In the end she had been glad about it and thanks to Craig she was finally getting over the break-up from Jeremy. She was even starting to behave civilly towards Anna. Her powers were back as well. 

Celia had returned to Lafayette soon. As payment she had demanded one of the strange rocks from Shane´s exhibition. Something Damon hadn`t really understood, until Colin had told him quietly, that all of Quetsiah´s powers were contained within the rock. Still it had been a small price to pay for her help.

Unlike his sister, Colin had stayed in Mystic Falls for a few more weeks to help Bonnie with her magic. Under his patient guidance she had quickly come back to full strength. And Colin had finally learned that he needed to step out of the shadow of his dark, powerful sister. She had chosen her path and he needed to find his. He had taken over Professor Shane`s classes at Whitmore College and really loved his new work and his students, who looked up to him. Marcy, the Mystic Falls school secretary was trying to play matchmaker and hook him up with her brother, who was working as a caretaker at Whitmore.  
   
No-one seemed to miss Professor Shane, as far as Ric could tell. The corpse at the bottom of the quarry had turned to ash, with a little help from Colin. The college had gotten Shane´s notice of foreclosure by mail. (Damon had been rather impressed at his boyfriend`s ability to fake signatures.) Shane`s good friend Celia McGrath had stopped by a few days later to pick up his stuff for him. According to Colin some if it would contain powerful magic. He had looked rather defeated when he`d told the vampires.   
   
Alaric looked over at his boyfriend, who was leaning against the wall, fixing the laughing students with a death stare, like they were a personal affront to him. “I`m grateful that you`re here.” the teacher whispered. Damon raised his eyebrows at him. “And I`ll make it up to you. Promise.” That managed to put a smile on the dark-haired vampire´s lips.  
   
“Of course you will.” he murmured, slowly stalking closer. “There`s an angels vs. devils party at Whitmore College tomorrow night.” he whispered, making the teacher shudder. “Sounds good.” Ric whispered back. Damon grinned. „Wait till you see the costumes I got us.“ Ric couldn`t help but smile. He could hardly wait.  
 


End file.
